Wings of darkness
by BabyDragon848
Summary: Things were not what they seemed. What if Harry Potter was the son of 2 very powerful persons? magical creature inheritance AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **HP does not belong to me. All original characters and HP universe belong to JKR.

**Wings of Darkness**

_**Prologue**_

The moon was shining full and bright, illuminating several figures in the dark forest. In a small clearing, sounds of a fight could be heard. There were shouts and curses fired and a lone dark figure could be seen battling several others. Although outnumbered, her head was held high and proud and her movements swift and graceful. She moved with an elegant grace and had deep dark wings emerging from her back, giving her the appearance of a fallen angel. Her beautiful raven hair fell in waves below her shoulders, swaying with the effort. She fought ferociously to protect what was hers, yet it was a battle she was unlikely to win. The hooded dark figures were currently advancing on her and she was quickly tiring.

She dodged and fought with much skill and agility. Missing many fatal blows and giving as many herself. But a well placed curse caught her off guard hitting its target squarely on her chest. As she fell to the ground, her attackers took the opportunity quickly firing a rapid succession of curses to finish her off. She was too dangerous to let live. With her final breath she muttered a few sacred words, to protect the one she held dear to her heart.

The dark figures looked around the clearing, as though searching for something else. But after a while, they left with loud 'cracks' and the clearing was silent again. The night animals' slowly scurrying out of their hiding places as they went about their business. But hidden in the tangled undergrowth was a small bundle, wrapped carefully in fine silk. A pair of deep green eyes peered out at its surroundings, making no noise despite all the fighting that had occurred just a while ago. Somehow, the small child knew that it was not right to cry yet now that the danger was gone, he was all alone.

_Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton_

Far away from the forest, Lord Voldemort was not happy. His agitation was mirrored by the number of curses thrown at random at his loyal followers. He had been expecting a special person on this dark and cold night. But something had gone terribly wrong and despite being the evil dark lord, he was very worried. This was the night that his dear Emelyn would arrive with the precious bundle that she carried with her. They had met long before he had become Lord Voldemort, when he was still a young man filled with ambition and a vision to change the way things were run. She had been his support throughout the years, standing by him even when he doubted himself.

His wife had been pregnant with child and was on her way to show him his newborn son. He had not seen her for approximately 5 months as it had been felt that it would have been safer for her to stay at his lesser known manor in Switzerland during her pregnancy. He was rather eager yet fearful as well although he would never admit to it. She was due to arrive at the manor sometime that night under cover of darkness but it was currently late and neither his wife nor her escort was in sight. He could barely contain his anxiety; he would kill those fools if they let any harm befall her.

Suddenly one of his death eaters burst into the room and fell to his knees, trembling.

"My Lord, your lady was attacked on her way. We are not sure what happened," stuttered the poor man.

"What do you mean, you don't know what happened! Send out our search parties at once and make sure that you find her," his rage barely contained as he roared at the death eater.

He was certain now that something had occurred and not something good at that.

AN: This is my first fic so forgive me if its not very good. It was a pretty random idea I got and I just felt like writing it down coz I really love to read fanfiction. Please do review and give me some feedback on how it went! Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** all original characters and HP universe belong to JKR. The author owns nothing, is not making any profit and means no harm.

**Chapter 1**

Several lights could be seen emitting from wands as the scouts searched the clearing for the remains of the battle that occurred not too long ago. It was a gruesome sight. Dead bodies were strewn over the grass, illuminated by the gentle moonlight, seeming like sleeping soldiers yet never to awaken again. And then there was a shout, as one death eater stumbled across the body of their lady. Her fallen figure lay against the grown strewn with soft black feathers and crimson blood that shone unnaturally in the moonlight. A single figure stood alone. His head was bowed as he looked down at her fallen figure, his grief overwhelming as he looked upon the body of his closest relative. He would tell his Lord, they would find whoever did this and they would have their revenge.

He was one of their Lord's closest advisor and also kin. His dark hair lay limp against his head and his onyx eyes clouded. But he would not grieve yet. He still had to find his nephew; the young child that he and his lord had yet to see for he had been born not more than a month ago. They faithfully scoured the clearing and the surrounding forest. But even after hours of relentless searching they had not found anything. They could do nothing but imagine the worst. Their lord's heir and child may have been killed or taken by the enemy.

HPHP

Silent pair of feet tread carefully in the dark forest, drawn towards the smell of fresh blood and battle. A pair of silver blue eyes peered in the undergrowth and blinked. He could sense a presence; unlike the dead it was alive. His heightened senses were drawn towards the strong aura of power as he moved towards a spot in bush. Sensing rather than seeing he could almost envision the two dark wings that seemed to encase a small bundle. It reeked of an ancient protective magic that would hide the person from any that meant harm, not commonly evoked for the sacrifice it took to bestow such protection was great. Curious, he picked up the small bundle, easing his magic cautiously over the shields to indicate that he had no bad intentions. Slowly the wings parted to reveal a small child, barely a month old, with the brightest green eyes that seem to radiate with innocence yet a hidden power. The child was beautiful, almost ethereal in appearance and he felt pulled towards it.

Somehow he was aware this was no ordinary child and the fates had led him to this place for a reason. He had lived many years more than any mortal and was not one to question the fates. Despite his appearance of a middle aged man in his later years, he was much older and with age came a wisdom tempered by time. Gently he picked the infant up, cradling it protectively in his arms, and in a swirl of dark smoke he was gone.

HPHP

Far away from the forest, an elderly wizard sat in his office in the old castle of Hogwarts. He was deep in thought as he pondered the recent events. He had gained information from a few well placed spies within Voldemort's ranks that an important person was to arrive that night, a person who was of special importance to the Lord himself and also the possibility that he might have an heir. He and the current minister Fudge had known of these events, and they had known that they could not let this happen. An heir would mean that there was someone who could rise to be more powerful than Voldemort and even Dumbledore himself, especially combined with another piece of disturbing news. It seemed that the mother of the heir had been a person of exceptional heritage.

Albus sighed. A rather large group of well trained aurors and order members had been dispatched that night on a covert mission to track down the group and capture or eliminate the child and his mother if the threat was too large. Some might not have condoned the killing of women and children for it would have been deemed cruel as they were considered unwilling victims of the war. However, the war had not been going well for their side. It had dragged on and their forces were weary. Although, Voldemort had not been causing as much damage as was reported in the papers, he was ashamed to admit that much of the destruction had been caused by members of their own side. But these were facts that the public could not know of or they would be division. It was better if the line between dark and light was made as simple as possible for the reality proved to be many shades of gray. Sometimes he wondered if he was really doing the right thing. At times he found himself lapsing into periods where his thoughts and actions were blurred and his actions regrettable. He was just doing what was good for his world, or so he hoped to believe.

_Flashback_

"_But Professor Dumbledore, I believe that it is not right to allow the muggles to be so close to the wizarding world. Their mixture into the wizarding society is diluting our blood and making us weaker. I believe that if we can appropriately separate the two we can create a better world."_

"_Tom, I'm sure you must know that purity of blood is not everything, considering your background. Many muggleborns have been known to succeed and have proven beneficial to our community."_

"_I agree that some muggleborns may be intelligent but we're talking about the persistence of the wizarding race. If we continue as we are it may eventually cause the wizarding society to be so watered down that we would become weak and lose sight of our heritage. I only wish to preserve what we are and our way of life."_

"_I understand that you have not had a most pleasant experience with muggles, but I'm sure you have realized that they are not all as bad as they seem. The wizarding world and the muggle world have always coexisted in peace with each other. Accidents may occur occasionally but nothing that cannot be taken care off."_

"_But how long do you think it will last, Professor? They have been increasing incidents involving muggles and wizards. It is becoming harder to keep our existence a secret and it is likely that we are starting to become perceived as a threat to the muggles. How long will it be before they start attacking us, simply because they fear what we are and the power we yield? In small numbers we may be more than a match for them but their numbers are far greater than ours could ever be and their weapons grow more advanced with time. I know what it feels like to be different, to be picked on because of those who are envious of your power and capability. There is so much good that can be done with the power but many fear what they do not know. There are also increasing numbers of muggleborn children displaying magical abilities. How long would it be before their numbers increase to such an extent that we no longer remain wizards but a race of magic wielding muggles? I yearn to change the way our society is built. To improve it, to strengthen it for the better and restore our forgotten customs and way of life"  
_

"_Your desires are noble, Tom and I would encourage you to channel those desires in a proper manner. You are still young and in time you may learn to let your grudges go and use your efforts to unite the muggle and wizarding worlds. There is still much for you to see and to learn."_

HPHP

_AN: I'm not too sure where this is going but i've got a brief outline in my head so hopefully it gets done. Thanks for the review Greyflower. If i don't get much feedback i guess i'm inclined to think that the story isn't hitting it off very well and so i'll see if i will continue or not. Do review like just whats good or bad and all that so i'll what to do. It would be much appreciated. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Chapter 2**

Lord Voldemort paced around in his private study. They had been searching for weeks but no trace of his precious offspring could be found. It was as if he had been taken by some unknown force. He knew that the attack on that fateful night had something to do with the old coot Dumbledore. His heart was filled with anguish and fear, and unrelenting ache of the loss he had faced, of a joy that he would have no chance to know. He had not even set his eyes on his child and yet he had been ripped away from him so cruelly. He mourned too the lost of his lovely Emy, longer be graced by her playful laughter and witty conversation.

When his troops had finally come across the battle ground, the fight was long past and the ground cold. A blood red moon had risen, reflecting the eminent bloodshed. A spy suspected as only his most loyal followers had known of his beloved and he trusted them with his life in addition of him being exceedingly well versed in legilimency and occlumency. The whole incident reeked of treachery and yet how it could have happened was a mystery. Even the route they had taken had not been the one they had initially planned on.

As days became months and months to years, he sank deeper into his misery and anger. His once pliable nature became hardened, crystallized by the lost of son and wife. When, before he was more than willing to slowly ease his plans along, now he was moving with a ferocity and viciousness that was previously not found in him. He would reach his goal by whatever means available. Revenge would be his. He left no stone unturned on dark art unexplored, burying himself deeper and deeper in ancient rituals of power and blood. No longer the charismatic leader he once was, but in his stead, a creature of great power and an iron fist; ruling by fear and living up to the evil that he had previously only been accused of yet not performed.

………………

A small child whimpered and shifted in his cot. He was around two years of age. He appeared to be having a nightmare of sorts. He opened his deep green eyes but did not cry. His guardian moved over to his side, hugging him and repeating soothing words. The young child clung to his guardian, clutching in his tiny fingers a single dark feather. Somehow its presence calmed him, whispering in unheard tones "Don't worry little one. I will always protect you."

………………

_5 years later _

"Evander, Evander, come here. I have something for you."

A little boy of about 5, bounded into the room, a mischievous smile gracing his lips.

"You got me a present, Ka-pa!" Kaspar smiled at him. "Yes", and he placed a small silver charm around the little boy's neck. "Now, Evander, you must always wear this as it will keep you safe because I won't always be there for you."

Evander took a look at the beautiful necklace, holding it in his chubby fingers. It was made of an unusual stone that glowed a dark green and when one looked into it. You could almost see another world within its smoky depths. "Wow, its beautiful. Thanks Ka-pa! But, don't worry I won't need it because I can protect myyyy-self and I'll take care of you too when I grow up!" he said earnestly, his bright green eyes sparkling merrily.

"Yes, you will" Kaspar acknowledged with a fond smile.

At times he felt that he was going soft. When he looked into those innocent emerald orbs he could never imagine ever leaving the youngling. He had become part of his pack. However, he could sense that their carefree days would soon be over and he would not always be there for his little Evan. Hence, he had gotten the necklace, a powerful protection charm which had been stored in his family vault for centuries.

These few years had been very good for him. He had been alone for so long that he had forgotten how it felt like to have someone to love and care for. Unknowingly, the young boy had sneaked into his heart and gained a foothold there. At times it felt like he had sired this child and not just picked him one night.

……………………

Two bedtime stories and five reprimands later, Kaspar sat alone by the window gazing out at the night sky. He pondered over his young charge. At times, Evander showed a maturity beyond his years and sometimes he could even sense some of his power swirling beneath the surface, like a shell just waiting to crack. There was the time when he suddenly levitated his favourite stuffed dragon of the nursery shelf when he was frustrated that he couldn't reach it. It was just little bursts of magic like this which usually did not surface in one so young that suggested his unusual talent. He also seemed to have an uncanny ability to relate to nature. Animals seemed to trust him inherently and he seemed to understand them as well. Whenever they took walks in the forest near his home, they would usually be approached by any number of wild and even some dangerous animals moving along with them or sometimes coming up to sniff his hand as if paying tribute to the young child. Evander would just giggle and pat them as if he understood their actions.

He knew that Evan was different but he had only heard of such creatures once before. Their power had been of such magnitude that their existence had been shunned and eventually faded from memory becoming just a myth. Being almost 3 centuries old he had much knowledge under his shoulders and knew not to disbelieve all myths for many were born from real events, albeit twisted and altered the course of time and word of mouth.

He sighed. It was late, and the moon was out and he was getting a headache from thinking too much. It was time for him to hunt.

_**AN:** Another chapter :) I'm going away for a week so the next update will be awhile but i've got it more or less planned out. I guess these first few chapters are more to just detail the background but please review and tell me what you think! Is my writing style alright? Am i dragging it on too much, should i speed it up?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**I own nothing. HP belongs to JK Rowling.**  
**

**Chapter 3**

Spring passed, summer and autumn came too fast. In no time, six years had gone by since that fateful night. Since then, the threat of Voldemort had increased exponentially. His name had become so feared that many refused to mention it, opting to call him "you know who" or "he who must not be named". James Potter for one thought that this was all just rubbish. After all, fear of a name would just increase the fear of the person itself or so someone had told him before. He worked hard as an auror for the ministry and as the war had steadily progressed; his fragile home life had become steadily worse. He was already under a lot of stress having chosen to marry a muggleborn witch instead of a pureblood as his mother would have liked. But he loved his Lily and she had been the brightest witch at Hogwarts despite her humble birth.

Their happy family life had been devastated by the lost of their firstborn son, who had been killed by Voldemort and his followers during an attack to their home. He and his wife had barely escaped unscathed and then only by the use of an emergency portkey that Albus had provided them. He could still remember that night. He could still hear Lily's cries ringing in his ears. "No, not Harry…please don't!" She had kept wailing and seemed almost hysterical as he had dragged her with him and activated the portkey.

That had proved to be the breaking point of their already strained relationship. All the arguments with his parents had taken its toll, in addition to his workload and the lost of his son had created a huge rift between them. His Lily was constantly moping in the nursery, decorated in the little lion and griffin wallpaper that he had insisted upon since there was no way his son would not be a Gryffindor. He had vehemently protested the little pink hearts and daisies that Lily had picked out; pointing out that no son of his would be a sissy. Now, the room that had brought them so much joy to plan and decorate had become their source of grief.

The attack had occurred not two nights ago and had been identified as an attack aimed to incapacitate two of the ministry's finest aurors. It just seemed unfair that the ones killed had not been the aurors themselves, but its effects were just as far-reaching.

………….

_Riddle Manor_

His Lord seemed to be in a good mood that night. Voldemort had just returned from an attack at the Potter household a few nights back, a family which had been a thorn in their side for far too long. Voldemort himself had changed much since that same evening six years ago, yet now it was almost as if one could see a bit of his old self peeking through and he was curious to see what had wrought this change. Narrowing his onyx eyes as he thought, he followed after his Lord to his personal chambers. Perhaps being the brother-in-law of one of the most dangerous and powerful person around had some advantages. After-all he was less likely to get cursed during random spurts of anger and Voldemort was much more trusting of his wife's brother than any of his other death eaters.

They had once been close, when they were younger. When his sister had been going out with Tom, they had been such a happy couple, he could not have thought of a better match for his dear Emelyn. Despite how he was now, he had really loved her and back then he had been ambitious but without the cruel edge that had progressively become more evident in recent years. He had been the perfect gentleman, young, intelligent, handsome and perceptive. Even his parents had been hard pressed to reject his offer despite his less than pure bloodline.

………..

Deep in a magical forest, hidden by layers of magic so thick you could almost slice it with a knife, lay a little house; comfortably nestled between the trees seeming to fit right into the background. There the silence was so dampening that you could have heard a pin drop. The usual sounds of nightlife unnaturally subdued as the moon slipped behind some dark clouds casting eerie shadows in its wake.

Suddenly a rushing sound like a storm penetrated the quiet of the forest, whirling around with its epicenter located at a lone house in the middle of the forest. Sensing the child in magical currents, Kaspar immediately sprung into action. "Why now," was his last thought as he moved to see out the intruders. He moved stealthily towards the direction of the disturbance, his fangs lengthening in anticipation; glinting as they caught a ray of moonlight. Several figures adorning dark flowing robes stood outside his home, faces hidden in the shadow of their hoods. But he did not need to see them to know who his visitors were.

"You must return. You do not belong here." A voice barely louder than a whisper but its message was not lost to its listener. The one who had spoken was a tall man, standing proud with a natural flow of elegance found only in one of good breeding. Several streaks of grey lined his black mane adding a sense and antiquity. "

"Lord Sylven, how kind of you to pay homage to my humble abode, though have you not deemed it unworthy of your presence these past few decades? As for your request, I'm sure you know the answer already. Why waste more of your precious time? Are they not more poor citizens to intrude upon and inflict your mighty presence on their lowly status? I'm sure it is a secret pleasure of yours."

"You would do well to watch your mouth Kaspar. You are but a halfblood." the words were spat out with a tone of malice. "Your grace period is over. Three centuries draw near and you will not meddle in the fates any longer."

Kaspar knew that the situation was dire. It would not do to argue any longer with these people for he knew that he was no match for their power should they chose to weild it. His fear did not solely encompass himself though but also that of the young charge within his home. He could not let any harm come to his little Evan, for he knew a fight would be diasastrous. His agreement with the demon lords had expired and there was little he could do within this realm.

Breathing a sigh, he made his decision. This was the least he could do. He started incanting in an ancient tongue. " senta tono safe, phare hart sayang, jaga tolo safe, dosee pho arte deare" (I just made this up, so its not supposed to mean anything)

As the last words left his lips a bright light engulfed the cottage and its surroundings and in a flash everything was gone. The quaint cottage that had once housed a happy family of two had vanished and so had its occupants leaving the meadow untouched as if nothing had ever been there before.

A gentle wind swept across the field, a leave shook of its perch onto the grass below, the animals resumed their nightly business and the forest was peaceful again.

………….

_Godric's Hollow_

Lily could feel herself walking the fine line of insanity and depression. She could hardly bear to be in the same house as James. It just reminded her of all she had lost. Each day bringing her deeper into her misery and her husband was hardly around anymore what with the rise of Voldemort and all that had been happening.

She felt the air around her was suffocating, the sight of her little Harry's favourite books, his stuffed unicorn, even the familiar griffin and lion wallpaper was too much to bear. Memories of him playing in the room, the tinkle of his laugh and even the way he refused to call James "Da da" instead calling him "prongs" with that endearing voice of his. She could not take it anymore, letting a loud sob, she ran out of the house into the forest that surrounded Godric's Hollow, crashing noisily through the undergrowth, ignoring the magic swirling around her. Somehow, wishing that she could just end it all, wishing she could just drown out all the pain. And then she heard it. It was a small tinkle of laughter, so much like her little Harry she thought and through her tear clouded eyes she saw a tiny mop of black hair. He heart beat quickened and as she look past the bushes she found that she was peering into the brilliant green eyes of her son.

…………

**AN**: Ok so i've not left yet. I thought i'd squeeze in one more update before i go away on holiday. Thanks heaps for the reviews! It was very encouraging! You guys really made my day! twirls around the room :-) Hope you'll like this chapter too!  



	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HP. The original universe and works belong to JKR.**  
**

**Chapter 4**

In her state, she did not notice that his face was just a bit sharper, his eyes a slightly different shade of green and his dark hair flowed in slightly more order; just small differences in a face so similar to the son that she had lost. Her pulse sped up and her heart started beating faster. She could hardly believe her eyes and yet she wanted so much to believe what she saw. To ignore the facts and just wrap her arms around him and forget that she had ever lost her son.

………..

_Another 5 years…_

Harry Potter pushed a few strands of stray hair out of his face as he peered out from behind a corner, his lightning bolt scar peeking out from under his fringe. He and James were currently carrying out their latest prank involving one Sirius Black, a lot of flour and a handful of bombs that would set of various hexes when stepped on. Their efforts were rewarded a while later by an agonized yell, followed by angry swearing as a very unhappy Sirius Black stumbled through the doorway. He was covered from head to toe in white flour and was limping slightly after being hit by a jelly legs curse. With a squeal and patter of feet Harry took off at a run, James following not far behind, father and son laughing their heads off in glee.

"Got you padfoot!"

"Why you little imps…." Sirius yelled as he stepped into yet another trap, a coughing hex this time, as he sputtered trying to get his words out.

"Now, now James…," said Lily as she appeared at the doorway with a smile. "You shouldn't be teaching Harry your pranks. God knows you were bad enough in your time."

"Why Lily, I've got to pass on the family tradition! Harry's gonna be a marauder just like his father," turning to Harry he said "Wait until you get to Hogwarts, son. Padfoot and I will show you all the tricks and secret pathways! We'll make a marauder out of you in no time."

Indeed Harry would soon be going to Hogwarts in a year. He was pretty excited as he had heard heaps about the magical school from his father and godfather and no little amount of those stories were about their grand exploits and adventures. He wondered how it would feel like to sneak around the passageways at night, exploring the secret pathways leading to Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack. What an adventure it would be thought the 10 year old boy. He had even read the entire "Hogwarts, a History" although it proved to be a bit more of a bore compared to his father's tales.

His thoughts were interrupted as Sirius pounced on him and started pummeling him in the stomach. "Take that, and that, that will teach you to mess with the great Sirius Black!" Harry laughed as he and his godfather rolled about in the grass.

"It was dad's idea!" Harry yelled out indignantly, giggling as Sirius started a tickling frenzy. This was the sight that greeted Remus as he walked into the Potter home that afternoon. A grown man lying in the grass on top of a younger boy, both laughing and rolling about, covered in leaves and dirt and flour in Sirius' case, they made a rather unusual sight.

His Uncles Sirius and Remus would often come around on weekends to visit the family. There were good friends of his parents and Sirius had even been named his godfather. Sirius was an auror like his dad and Remus had managed to get a job in the ministry to do with magical creatures. The rules on magical creatures were still not as fair as they should have been but they were much better now than before. Having a werewolf for a family friend sure helped Harry's perception of magical creatures. He had realized at an early age how much discrimination there actually was against them, unfairly labeling many creatures as dark. His parents had always thought him not to fear them but instead to treat everyone with respect. After all he could never quite comprehend why people would fear so much what they knew so little about. Remus would never hurt a fly and to him being a werewolf was more of a curse then any sort of advantage to be lorded over others. Someday he hoped to be able to change that.

………

Lily and James tucked Harry in to bed that night after a tiring afternoon and Lily gave him a quick peck on the forehead despite his protest that he was too old for that. With a quick smile and a silent 'nox' they shut the door to their son's bedroom. The lion and griffin wallpaper now covered by many posters of various quidditch players and their teams, flitting around in the dark. Unseen dark wings enveloped their little master and wrapped him safe in his sleep.

Harry had been a great fan of quidditch ever since he had gotten his first toy snitch and when he had gotten his toy broom he had been so overjoyed that it had been near impossible to get him of the thing. In many ways, he was different from the Harry they knew before. He was much quicker and could pick up things very easily. He was also easily more perceptive and intelligent. When he was seven he had once stopped Sirius from adding crushed newts into his laughing potion and he had been right, if not proven by the huge explosion that had occurred after Sirius had added it anyway. For a child as young as he was he read an awful lot and by ten he had read all his books for the first three years of Hogwarts. His aptitude for study was astounding unlike James and also he did not sport the usual set of glasses that was almost hereditary among the Potter line.

Deep inside Lily and James knew that this was not their son. He had the same eyes and raven hair but there was much dissimilarity. Even so, every time Lily had looked into those lovely green orbs that tore into her soul, she could not let go of him. James had been more wary of the situation and had at least checked among the auror network for any reports of missing children finding none. Upon seeing the way his wife clung onto the child, he could hardly bring himself to take her "Harry" away from her and had not looked any further into the matter.

After modifying some of the paperwork and adjusting various spells in the family tapestry, the child was more or less Harry James Potter, born on the 31st of July 1981. He was their son and heir and they loved him dearly. Despite it all, there was still the nagging fear that this was just all a dream and something would happen to take him away from them. They were very much aware that Harry was special and attention was likely to follow him everywhere, especially after his near encounter with Voldemort not five years ago.

His unique lightning bolt scar on his head was reminiscent of that incident when he was six. It was a rather strange incident in itself. At the time young Harry had been playing in the backyard beside the woods. He was swiping playfully at the small toy snitch that was hovering around, occasionally catching it just to have it escape again. Suddenly, the wards alerted them to the presence of death eaters in their compound. They had been so terrified that they would lose the apple of their eye again, their dread multiplying as a flash of green light erupted from behind their house. Fearing what they would find, they had quickly rushed to the garden; only to find Harry lying on the grass, a mysterious lightning bolt cut into his forehead. Amazingly he had escaped unscathed.

Lily's eyes had welled up in tears of relief and joy. Her son was alright. No one knew how he had managed to survive the attack. It had been a miracle yet emphasizing all the more how different their little boy was. In the aftermath of the incident, the attacks from the death eaters had been markedly reduced. For a while many had even hailed their son the "Boy who lived" as he had survived a direct encounter with Voldemort. It was even thought that the incident had weakened Voldemort substantially resulting in the reduced death eater activity, adding to his newfound fame of being the "Boy who lived". Some had even gone as far as to name him a savior or possible defeater of Voldemort. In those times when hope was scarce, any ray of light was looked upon with much anticipation that there might yet be an end to this war even if the proposed savior had only been five years old at the time.

However, his parents endeavored to give Harry as normal a life as possible. It seemed unfair to fork the burden of a weary world on such young shoulders. They had waved the incident off as pure luck or a miracle although the cursed scar still intrigued them. Dumbledore had said that it was likely due to very dark magic as any efforts to heal or hide it had failed miserably.

…….

Harry picked a black feather out of his sheets as he got out of bed. It was a rather common occurrence nowadays. He could not remember where the feathers had come from but ever since he was young he would occasionally find them in his bed, or in the grass when he fell asleep under the apple tree in their backyard. Whenever he touched them, he felt an oddly comforting sensation as if they belonged to him. They were soft and silky and the deepest midnight black.

He had once asked his parents what animals had dark feathers and his parents had answered that they were probably from crows or ravens. It seemed that in myth the crow had been a creature commonly associated with bad omens or foretelling death. They had also been said to be descended from demons which were actually fallen angels. Their wings black instead of white as a sign of their crimes.

"And they have great big teeth and eat naughty children who don't let their mothers' give them their goodnight kisses." said James jokingly.

"James don't tell Harry all that nonsense" Lily said while swatting his hand as he reached out to grab a cookie. "That's not true, Harry. Your father is just making things up. Most of the tales are legends and myths and we don't know how true they are."

"Yeah, they tell them to little children to scare them before bed." James added with a grin. "Why do you want to know, son?"

"Do you think humans can produce black feathers?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Now, sweetie, no normal person would be able to produce feathers. After all, we don't have wings. Where did you get that idea from?" asked Lily kindly.

"I was just curious, mum." Harry said with a little smile. "Just thinking that it be cool if we had wings and could fly." he quickly changed the topic.

"Really now…" James said and rambled on about the wonders of quidditch and how one didn't need wings when you could always fly on a broom and how fast the new Nimbus 2005 was.

After that he had not breached the topic again. He didn't like being different. Especially since the incident with the Dark Lord and him being called the 'Boy who lived'. He also knew that his parents were very protective, for some reason. They tried not to be too restrictive, but when he was younger and had gotten lost in the woods by accident his mother had nearly been beside herself in distress, even if he had been found after half an hour. Sometimes when she couldn't find him, she would just spontaneously burst into tears as if terrified that he had been caught by deatheaters or gotten hurt. He didn't understand her paranoia, but he loved his mother and did not think that it would be the best idea to tell her that he was a freak who was suddenly shedding black feathers.

…….

Lord Voldemort had been actively seeking ways to immortalize himself. The last encounter he had had with the Potter's brat had not been pleasant. He had seen a similar child with green eyes and raven black hair five years ago on his first attack to the household. At the time, he would have been rather displeased at the failure of the attack but that was before he had seen the boy. He had looked just like how he'd imagine his own son would have looked like. Those lovely green orbs that were so similar to his Emelyn's and the tousled black hair, an almost perfect mix of his and his wife's features. At that moment, he found he could not kill the boy. Instead, he had left, the resemblance too much for him to bear.

Unknown to him, that boy had died, killed at the hand of one of his loyal followers. The man felt a jealousy and puzzlement at his Lord's actions. He had afterall never seen the Lord act so soft-hearted. He deigned the child to be a weakness and felt that it was his duty to put an end to this hindrance. He had not spent years following a cruel leader to have his goals and ideals put to waste just because of some sympathy his Lord felt by sparing a child. This was just a small hitch along the way and he would dispose of it accordingly.

……..

The next time Lord Voldemort saw the child, he was slightly older and not quite the same although he couldn't quite place the feeling. His features seemed to have changed and yet he did not know of any other son the Potter's had. He seemed familiar, as if it was his very own son. He had been on his way back from an attack to the home of a prominent light wizard near Godric's Hollow, when suddenly he had felt drawn towards a rather homely looking two storey manor. At the time he had not realized that it was the home of his arch enemies. Instead, he had just spotted a little mop of black hair playing in the backyard, chasing a golden snitch. His face contorted in simply joy and his innocent laughter touching a cord deep within his cold heart. This time the feeling of kin was much stronger.

A thrum of magic drew his attention towards the wards of the house. He cursed his stupidity as he realized that he had foolishly set of the wards when he stepped towards the child. Instinctively, he cast the avada kedavra in the direction the child in his haste to leave. He could not let his presence be known. However, as soon as he said the words he saw the ray of green light rebound and raced towards him. He hardly managed to dodge the curse as it grazed his left arm. To his horror the little boy lay on the ground a jagged wound embedded into his forehead. The sound of voices and footsteps distracted his attention and he quickly righted himself and apparated back to his manor. The events of the day lingering in his mind as he felt at his arm where the curse had been deflected back at.

AN: I'm not particularly pleased with this chapter. I redid it several times but i guess this is it. Got back from my holiday a couple of days back. Shopping is fantastic. Anyway, do read and tell me what you think. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own HP. HP characters and universe are property of JKR.**  
**

**Chapter 6**

Harry Potter stood at the foot of platform 9 ¾ with his trunk and snow white owl, all set to start a new part of his life. White smoke was billowing from the train and the platform was packed with the chatter of many voices and students leaving for another year of school. He was very excited as today he would finally be going to Hogwarts. After all the exciting stories he had heard about it, he could hardly wait to see the magnificent castle. When he had gotten the official letter with the telltale Hogwarts ensign on his 11th birthday, he had been overjoyed. In a way, he was eager to get away from his home life. He loved his parents but he still found them a bit too overprotective and he had not had much opportunity to go out and explore the big wide world.

Lily gave him a big hug and a peck on the cheek, which was immediately followed by protests of "Mum, someone's going to see us!" James Potter just smiled at his son's antics and gave him a pat on the head and a hug, "We'll see you for Christmas, son. You can send Hedwig if you forgot anything."

"Now, remember to feed your owl and keep her clean. I've packed you an extra jacket in your trunk if you feel too cold." said Lily as she straightened his shirt and tie. "Don't worry mum, I can take care of myself !", Harry said indignantly as he wriggled out of her grasp.

"The train will be leaving soon. You better get going." James said with a wink at Harry.

Harry gave his dad an appreciative smile and hastily said his goodbyes before boarding the bright red train, out of reach of his mother's constant fussing.

As he boarded the train, he looked around for an empty compartment and soon found one somewhere near the middle of the train. He stowed his trunk and Hedwig's cage away and made himself comfortable on the maroon seats. Taking a look out of the window he spotted his parents and waved to them. His mother looked suspiciously as if she had been crying, but she quickly covered it up with a bright smile and waved. He felt a slight pang of guilt at how much he had been looking forward to leaving home.

As his glance swept across the crowded platform, he noticed a striking blond couple and their son. They were dressed in regal looking robes and were speaking in hushed tones to their son, who appeared to be a first year like him. The interaction seemed rather formal as the father just gave his son a nod spoke in formal tones while his mother smiled and gave him a small hug. He caught a few words of "be careful… stay away…" but soon disregarded it as the usual cautions of overly worried parents.

Shifting his glance, he heard the door to his compartment slide open and was met by a lanky looking boy with bright red hair. It didn't take him long to figure out that this must be one of the Weasley's. He hadn't seen them much but his dad worked with Mr. Weasley and sometimes had Mr. Weasley and his wife over to dinner. He would recognise the flaming red hair and freckles anywhere.

"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley. Do you mind if I sit with you? Most of the compartments have filled up."

"Sure", Harry answered with a nod. "I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."

Ron voiced his thanks and took a seat opposite Harry. "So Harry, your name sounds rather familiar. I'm think I must have heard of you somewhere before."

"Errrr…." Harry felt awkward. He hadn't realised that he was that famous.

Suddenly it struck Ron. "Bloody hell! You're Harry Potter!" Ron exclaimed. They sat in stunned silence for a while as Ron seemed to take in the information. He fumbled about a bit before finally asking, "Do you mine if I have a look at your scar?"

"Yeah, sure." Harry said as he reluctantly parted his fringe. He couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable as Ron seemed to be staring at him in a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"Wow, wicked scar! I heard that you were going to start first year this year but I never expected to meet you so soon. Do you remember how it happened? Everyone was going on and on about how you are the only living person to have survived the killing curse. "

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea how to take Ron's sudden outburst. Fortunately, the silence was interrupted as the door to their compartment slid open once again. This time the blond boy he had seen earlier stood at the entrance.

He looked directly at Harry before asking politely, "Would you mind sharing the compartment with me as there are no other seats available in the train?" His clothes were perfectly prim and his hair was slicked back. He held himself arrogantly, every bit like the rich boy he appeared to be.

Harry nodded and gestured for him to come in with a small smile. He wondered if the boy was as arrogant as he looked.

"Draco Malfoy." he said holding out his hand. " I presume you may have heard of me?"

"Harry Potter," he answered and shook his head uncertainly "and this is Ron Weasley." Harry added just in time to see Ron's face turning a rather angry red while Draco had a scowl painted on his pale features when he noticed who was sitting across of Harry.

"I'd know the flaming red hair anywhere. Not to mention the hand me down robes. Don't know why your parents need to have so many children when they can barely afford to feed themselves."

Ron was barely hiding his anger and embarrassment and was starting to turn a startling tomato red.

"Why you arrogant prick…." He stuttered.

"Cat got your tongue, weasel?" Draco retorted.

Harry could feel the temperature in the cabin go down a few degrees as the two glared at each other. He had no idea what sort of feud had brought this on, but he could sense the tension rolling off the both of them in waves. 'I better do something to divert their attention or this is going to be a very long train ride. What a way to start the year.' He thought dully.

"So Ron, what house do you think you're going to be in?" he asked, trying to change the subject beyond the Weasley and Malfoy family feuds.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in Gryffindor. It sort of runs in the family I suppose, since my mum and dad and all my siblings have all come out of the house. Although my mum always complains at how my brothers Fred and George could possibly be pure Gryffindors with the amount of trouble they manage to get themselves into"

"Slytherins would not be dumb enough to get caught for something they did, unlike Gryffindorks who can't even defend themselves when someone insults their family. Not to mention that red is definitely your colour." Draco added throwing a glance at Ron's bright red hair. "You probably couldn't make it into any of the other houses anyway considering your merits." he said with a sneer.

Harry sighed and thought 'Here they go again. He couldn't imagine how two people who just met each other could 'hit it off' so well in muggle terms so to speak.'

They were roughly interrupted by the sounds of metal screeching as the train suddenly came to a grounding halt. In their surprise the two boys had dropped their argument and were looking around in surprise although Malfoy didn't seem nearly as surprised as Ron was. Ron was darting glances around their compartment in a slight panic.

Harry looked out the window and noticed several hooded figures moving into the train. They were entering the train from the two ends and seemed to be combing the carriages as if looking for someone or something he thought.

"There are deatheaters outside!" he whispered loudly the other two boys.

"Oh no, what are we going to do?" said Ron with a slight tremble in his voice. "Why would deatheaters want to attack us?"

Harry was thinking. Their compartment was towards the middle of the train and since the deatheaters were entering at the ends, it would probably be awhile before they reached here. Maybe they could hide or try to get out before they got here. Although, he realized there wasn't much they could do if help did not arrive soon. He had read a reasonable amount about defence against the dark arts and his mother had even thought him how to perform simple shielding charms with his practice wand but when faced with full grown adult deatheaters he was doubtful that he would be able to hold his own.

He could already hear screams erupting from the two ends of the train. Students were running everywhere and he noticed that they were clumped in groups outside each guarded by several deatheaters. Suddenly he saw one of the older students try to break away from the groups and immediately collapse to the ground convulsing and bleeding from his mouth. The boy looked horrible. He was shaking so hard as if he could not control himself and his head was lolling around uselessly. But, what really tore at Harry's heart was the screams that he emitted. They were so nerve racking and seemed to speak volumes of the immense pain he must be under. He could not tear his eyes away from the gruesome sight. Why would anyone want to put another person under such pain and torture? His young mind could not comprehend the cruelty that bestowed his eyes.

He tore his eyes away as he heard a crash and the door to their compartment burst open. One of the hooded figures stood there, his wand drawn. "Get out of the train and you will not be harmed." He pushed the boys into the hallway. Behind them a petite girl stumbled, falling to her knees. She seemed to have difficulty standing up again as the burly deatheater dragged her up again only to have a fall over again. "Get up, girl." he shoved her roughly again and started to raise his wand against her. "Crucio!"

"No!" Harry yelled as he lunged at the man. His mind still filled with the horrific images he had seen earlier. He felt a burst of speed and strength and long silver claws shot out of his fingers as he swiped at the man. Bright red angry gashes sprung forth against the black robes of the deatheater. The curse missed its target and bounced of the walls of the train. Harry fell in a heap between the girl and the man as he was roughly pinned to the ground.

"My, my what do we have here, a little hero to save the damsel in distress?" the deatheater taunted mockingly before raising his wand and casting the unforgivable again, this time at the boy who lay in front of him.

Harry felt a burning pain engulf him. He had never felt anything so painful before. It spread throughout his entire body, torturing the sensitive nerve endings and causing him to shake uncontrollably. He could barely think as a heavy haze shrouded his mind and senses, dulling everything except the searing pain that wracked his body in waves.

As quickly as it was there the pain was gone. His mind still reeling from the curse he heard many cracks and a loud commotion before he slowly faded into darkness.

"Harry, Harry… are you alright?" cried Ron anxiously as he shook Harry. He could not believe what had just happened. He just hoped that his new friend was alright as the mediwizards started coming in and levitated him away in a stretcher.

Malfoy just stood in a corner watching the proceedings, wondering about what he had just seen. He would be sure to write to his father about these things.

**AN: Thanks MinaLynn, lady sakura cosmos, oracale, Smitten By Marauders, DarkMarkLV, fudgebaby, Mage-Alia, Bobboky, Nimeariel, neosildrake, AceZ-Shadow, eyeinthesky, AngelAriel, DestinyEntwinements, Never Odd Or EveN, bandgsecurtiyaw, Ravenclaw-heir **for your reviews. You've been very encouraging! And for those who asked if Voldemort is going to know if Harry is his son... well i'm not planning on that anytime soon, but he will know eventually.

Personally i still don't like this chapter. I'm finding it rather hard to put my ideas into words lately although i have a rough map of what i have planned to happen. I can't quite get my flow back in place lately so my updates might be awhile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own HP. All characters and HP universe belong to JKR. I'm not making any money from this so just leave me alone.**  
**

**Chapter 6**

As Harry groggily opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of stark white walls and sunlight streaming in through the large windows. The cheery sound of birdsong felt strangely out of place as he rubbed his eyes blearily. Feeling slightly disoriented he skimmed through his memory trying to recall what had happened. He vaguely remembered boarding the Hogwarts express and then the sudden attack by the Deatheaters. But, his current location still remained a question. He didn't recall anything else after having blacked out from the unforgivable that the death eater had cast. He shuddered at the memory the excruciating pain that the curse had brought about, temporarily blocking that part of his memory from thought and concentrating on determining his surroundings.

"Good, your finally awake." a kindly face peered at him. "How are you feeling today, dear? That was a horrible curse to cast at anyone and a child especially." said the motherly woman with a hint of anger in her voice. He figured from her manner that she was probably a nurse and that meant that he was in a hospital wing of some sort.

He groaned as he tried to sit up. "Now, now, try not to move too much. Here are a few potions that should help." she said as she helped him into a sitting position and was soon pouring copious amounts of potions down his throat. He winced at the taste and was glad that she was so quick with the potions or he might not have wanted to down anymore after the first vial.

"I'm Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse. I don't usually get students this early in the year, mind you but that incident on the train has been very unfortunate for all of us. Now, just rest up and I'll be around to check on you later."

"Ok…" Harry mumbled as he tried to comprehend everything that she had said. His mind was still reeling slightly and he could feel a headache creeping onto him.

"Harry! Are you alright?" he heard two urgent voices calling his name as his parents rushed into the infirmary.

'Oh no…' he thought. He didn't think he could take anymore of his mother's fussing as it was he was still feeling as if he had been trampled by a herd of rampaging hippogriffs.

In no time, a tear stricken Lily was by his side followed by his father who put an arm around her comfortingly. He hardly heard what she said but from what he could decipher, they had been worried sick and something about not endangering himself foolishly like that ever again. He just nodded and reassured his mother that he was alright and that that he was just having a little headache and if it was alright if he could go back to sleep. After what seemed like forever, Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room and ushered his indignant parents out of his room with a firm no-nonsense term, muttering about over-concerned parents who could not even let their son have some rest and recuperate.

……..

To be honest, James and Lily had been terrified when they had heard of the attack on the train. They had been very afraid that this latest attack would have something to do with Harry.

As members of the Order of the Phoenix they had been summoned the moment they had received word of the attack. It seemed rather arrogant of Voldemort to think that he could just waltz in and attack the children and expect them to not be on their guard. Although, in reality they really hadn't been on guard since the move had never been expected. Voldemort had never ventured to attack Hogwart's and it had always been considered a safe house of sorts as it was believed that Dumbledore was the only wizard that could hold off the Dark Lord in a duel.

The entire order had been in a state of disarray and shock as they had quickly apparated to the scene of the attack. However, many minutes had passed and the deatheaters had managed to capture the train and most of its occupants. They could only imagine the horrors that the poor children may have been subjected to under the Dark Lord's cruel minions.

They had found that several children had indeed been cursed and some by unforgivables nonetheless. James and Lily were particularly distraught to find that their precious son had also been one of the unfortunate victims of the torture. As much as they would have liked to believe otherwise, I t did seem unlike Voldemort to take hostages and leave so many students unharmed. After all, he had never shown any mercy to women or children in his many raids. Thus, the alternative was that he may have been looking for something or someone. It was a possibility considering the way the deatheaters had attacked and their haste to board the train and search it. But as far as anyone knew, there was nothing valuable on the train. Albus Dumbledore did have a sneaking suspicion but he had reassured the order members and teachers that there was nothing of importance on the train and instead to focus their efforts on the safety of the children aboard.

James and Lily were beside themselves in worry when they had found Harry unconscious in the hallway, not to mention that he was displaying the aftereffects of the cruciatus curse. They did not notice the slight worried crease that passed over Albus' features and the temporary lost of his ever-present twinkle. There were many twists in fate's plans that had yet to be made known.

…………

A good nights rest later, Harry was pronounced as well as he could be and reminded firmly not to overexert himself before being sent off to the headmaster's office. There were several other students with him who had also missed the welcoming feast due to their stay in the hospital wing. They were escorted by a prim Professor McGonagall to a rather scary looking stone gargoyle. The first years nearly jumped in surprise when the two stone sentries jumped aside to reveal a stairway leading to Professor Dumbledore's office.

As he rode the rotating stairs up to the office, Harry couldn't help but feel apprehensive as he wondered which house he would be sorted into. His parents had both been Gryffindors and so had his uncles and almost anyone he had known. He couldn't imagine being anywhere else, not to mention that his parents would be direly disappointed. But, he couldn't help but wish to see what it would be like outside Gryffindor. What little he knew about the other houses had been read from 'Hogwarts, a history', the information distorted by the impressions and stories told to him by his father and uncles. He wondered fleetingly if he might end up in Ravenclaw since his father had complained increasingly that he was starting to spend more time reading than playing pranks around the house like he used to when he was younger.

He hadn't really agreed with his dad though. He found that he liked to read and when he was reading, he felt like he was immersing himself in another amazing world. He had read almost every single book in their home and those that had been put on higher shelves to prevent him from reading them he had secretly levitated off, replacing them with other books, when he had read of the levitation spell. That was another thing that he found he could do. He realised that if he concentrated hard enough he could carry out many of the simpler spells wandlessly. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be able to do that but then his parents had always passed off some of his random outbursts of magic as wild magic which according to Lily occurred in young children occasionally.

He had managed to pick up the nifty trick of doing wandless magic when he had been reading a section on fire spells. He had been muttering 'incendio' under his breath will trying to copy the wand movements when suddenly the quill he had been using as a makeshift wand burst into flames. He had dropped the quill in his shock and had nearly set fire to the library. Fortunately he had read the counterspell and quickly put that into action. His aptitude to cast wandless spelled had only fuelled his desire to read and learn more and he soon found himelf adept at many simple charms. He had not told his parents though. He had felt that if they were to find out he would be indefinitely banned from ever practicing wandless magic since it was rather taxing on himself and could be rather dangerous as he had realized from his near burning experience.

Harry was brought out of his recollections as he found himself standing in a rather curious room. It was filled with numerous trinkets and bizarre contraptions that swung back and forth, ticked and moved in ways that defied the law of gravity itself. Behind an old oak table stood an elderly wizard with a long graying beard and rather comical half moon spectacles. He found the man a funny sight in his bright purple robes combined with the classes and his grandfatherly appearance. He quickly stifled the giggle that tempted to erupt from his chest at the sight. He doubted that it would be a good idea to burst out into laughter for no obvious reason so soon after he had been released from the hospital wing. He was not that keen to visit the white walls of the infirmary anytime soon.

The Headmaster seemed oblivious to his mirth, instead cleared his throat and spoke in clear voice. "As you may all well know, I am the headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore." the elderly man said with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "Due to some unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, you have been unable to attend the welcoming feast and thus the sorting. I certainly hope that you are feeling much better in the care of our esteemed mediwizard. I am sure she has taken the outmost care to ensure your health and safety and you would do well not to cross her for she is knowned to be rather harsh in ensuring that her advice is followed." he said with a smile.

"Now, to update you on what you may have missed. The third floor corridor and Forbidden Forest are out of bounds for all students and our resident caretaker, Filch is not very tolerant of pranks so it would do well to stay away from him in your first few weeks until you get a better grip of the castle and its whereabouts. It would hardly be a favorable to make yourselves known to him so early in the year."

"That being done, we can now move on to the sorting." said Professor Dumbledore as he placed a rather old and worn looking hat on the table in front of the students. "Perhaps we could start with you, Miss Bones?" he said looking at a small girl standing to his right.

Harry watched in interest as what he first thought of as a rather musty old hat came to life and soon began shouting out the house names that the respective students had been sorted into. When his turn came, he walked carefully over to the stool, making sure to not touch any of the unusual gadgets that littered the room and gingerly placed the hat on his head. He was startled when he could hear a voice in his head. He nearly fell of the stool in fright but managed to keep his bearings and the hat on.

"Hmm… who have we got here? Young Mr. Potter or maybe Riddle? It seems that there is much that you do not know yet. But not to worry, it will all come to you when the time is right. Now what house should I put you in?"

The hat seemed to ponder over that for quite some time going over various houses and their attributes in his head. Harry did not understand the first few things that the hat had told him but he did not think too much of it as he was too busy worrying over his house placement. He wringed his hands nervously as he hoped that the hat knew what it was doing.

"Of course I know what I'm doing! I'm the sorting hat after all and I'll tell you that I'm not dirty or musty. I'm in perfectly good condition." the voice in his head said rather indignantly before calling out….

**AN:** I'm in a much better mood at the moment so i thought i'd add a little more to my story. Thanks to momocolady (claws? you'll find out later on :p don't want to give away the story ), DestinyEntwinements, hy-nguyen, Smittened By Marauders for your reviews.

I know it might be annoying that i just had to stop it at the place where he was sorted...yeah i know this is a common trick, but i couldn't quite decide on a house... any ideas? I think Gryffindor is a bit typical, and Slytherin seems a bit dark, Ravenclaw is a possibility though i'm not sure how i'd write that. I'm not thinking of having Harry all dark... but not all light too... if you know what i mean?


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** If i owned HP pigs would fly and the sun would rise in the west. I own nothing. HP belongs to JK Rowling and i'm just borrowing some of her characters coz i love her stories.

**Chapter 7**

"Slyherin!" the hat called out as an unnatural silence befell the room. Harry sighed wondering what his parents would think of this; it seemed that no one had thought that the 'Boy who lived' would end up in the serpent house.

Just before he could get up and remove the hat, it shouted again, "Gryffindor!", if everyone had been surprised before, they were now completely stunned. It was a well known fact that the Potter's had always been Gryffindors and Gryffindor had always been considered the essential opposite of Slytherin. Unlike the other houses, these two houses were usually exclusively associated with either light wizards or dark wizards respectively. To have a dual sorting into two that were the exact opposite of each other was a highly unusual phenomenon. The last dual sorting to occur had been half a century ago involving Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, which arguably were much more similar.

As he took the hat off his head Harry squirmed in his seat. It was very uncomfortable having everyone in the room stare at him as if he had suddenly grown two heads.

"Well, now that you know which houses you belong too, I'll have the Head of Houses escort you back to your respective dormitories," Professor Dumbledore said, recovering quicker from the shock than the others. "Mr. Potter, please stay behind," he said in a rather solemn tone.

Harry watched in dismay as the rest of the students filed out the room following their respective Head of Houses. 'Why did things always happen to him?'

"Well Harry I have to say that this is highly unusual. We have not had a dual sorting at Hogwarts since half a century ago and then it did not involve two such controversial houses. Considering the circumstances, you are officially a member of both houses," noticing Harry's rather anxious expression he was quick to reassure him. "It's nothing to worry about, Harry. It is rare to have a dual sorting, and usually only occurs when the hat finds that the person has equal characteristics from both houses. You are rather privileged to be able to benefit from both Gryffindor and Slytherin. After all, no one is purely a Gryffindor or a Slytherin. They are just sorted into the house that best reflects most of their characteristics and would help bring out their inner potential. It seems that you are a rather multi-talented person."

Harry just nodded mutely not sure what to say to that. He wasn't feeling very privileged at all.

"Well now, I think Professor's Snape and McGonagall are back and they should be able to show you to your rooms, the Professor said as the two Head of Houses stepped into his office. "Since you belong in two houses, you will be having your own living quarters with access to both the Slytherin and Gryffindor common rooms. You are free to enter both houses but it would be best to not share the passwords with members of the opposing house at it would be rather unfair. Run along, now."

Harry didn't know what to think about the incident. He had hardly expected anything like this. If Malfoy and Weasley were anything to go by, he had no idea how he was going to be able to cope with the infamous house rivalry.

That aside, his rooms were really quite nice. He had been shown to a rather elegantly furnished room decorated in blue and silver with a touch of gold. The bed was rather large and two plush armchairs sat beside the window overlooking the grounds. He was rather disappointed that he still had to share bathrooms with the other boys although he supposed he was rather glad that the room had not been done in the red and green of the two houses. It would have been too gaudy for his tastes, somewhat bringing into mind the image of Christmas decorations.

Professor McGonagall pointed out a solid door on his right as leading to the Gryffindor common rooms and the one he had just come through was from the Slytherin house. It was a rather good idea really since he could easily get to and from the two houses.

"You should set a password at both doors and you are not allowed to let members of the different houses into each others common rooms," Professor Snape said firmly.

"You may unpack and get yourself settled in. All meals will be served at the Great Hall." Professor McGonagall added before as the two Professors left his rooms.

As the excitement from the sorting set in, he wondered with a sinking sensation, what his parents would think of the turn of events. He vaguely remembered all the harsh comments and snide remarks that his father and Uncle Sirius had said about Slyhterin.

"Now Harry, you know never to trust a Slytherin. The whole house is full of sneaky liars."

"There was never a dark wizard that did not come from that house!"

Even though, he was technically half of each house, he wondered if his dad would be disappointed in him for being in the Serpent house as they liked to call it. He couldn't bear it if his uncles and father would not play with him and treat him as one of their own anymore. After all he had always wanted to be just like the marauders. He was almost tempted to go back to Dumbledore and beg him to let him be resorted. Although he didn't think it would be much use.

Finding no way around his problem, he resigned himself to unpacking and getting settled into his room. At least he didn't need to share his room with anyone else. Although he doubted that it would be a very good idea to sleep with the other boys when he wasn't sure how they would treat him.

……

Harry had finished unpacking his trunk and rearranged everything in his room at least three times. He figured that there was no point delaying the inevitable. Taking a deep breath, he chose the Gryffindor door since they were likely to be easier to tackle and walked into their common room. He noticed several students sitting around the fireplace playing wizard's chess or reading a book. Others were moving around talking to each other and cracking jokes in a jovial mood. Suddenly feeling very out of place he froze on the spot, unsure of what to do.

"Hey Harry!" a voice called him. He looked up to see Ron coming down the stairs from the boys' dorm. "Glad to see that you got sorted into Gryffindor. How are you feeling, mate? You gave us quite a scare on the train when the deatheater cursed you."

"Thanks for your concern, Ron. I'm feeling much better actually," feeling rather relived to have someone that he knew. He suddenly realized that he knew no one in his year since he had not been around during the welcoming feast when everyone had been sorted into their houses and no doubt made acquaintances and friends.

"Would you like me to show you the first year dorms? I haven't seen your stuff here though so I'm not sure where you'll be sleeping but it won't hurt to go up and take a look," offered Ron not quite realizing how uncomfortable he was making Harry feel.

"Actually, Ron," Harry hesitated, unsure how to break the news to his new friend. "I've been sorted into both Gryffindor and Slytherin," he said.

Ron just stared at him. "You can't be serious! How can anyone be sorted into two houses?"

"I don't really know what happened but the sorting hat just called out two names consecutively and here I am. Its supposed to be pretty rare though," he said with a bit of a frown.

"I'm so sorry for you, mate. But don't worry, I'll still be your friend and I'm sure the other guys won't mind. Come on up, I'll introduce you to them!" he said with a grin.

Harry nodded feeling slightly more relieved and cheered up although he didn't really think that being in Slytherin was something to be sorry about. He ended having a rather good afternoon with the other boys talking and playing exploding snap. They were all quite friendly and tried to make him feel better for not being a pure Gryffindor. He learned that Neville Longbottom actually had the same birthday as he did and that it didn't take more than a few drinks to get Seamus Finnagan drunk.

Feeling rather contented that night he sat down to write a letter to his parents detailing all that had happened. They had left earlier in the day and had yet to hear about his sorting. A few crumpled parchments later and a borrowed ribbon from one of the Gryffindor girls, the letter was safely sealed and on its way to Godric's Hollow.

………………

_Silver blue eyes seemed to peer into his soul. A lullaby was hummed softly in a tongue that was unknown to him, spiraling around him and drawing him into a dark cocoon of safety and warmth. He knew the person and yet he did not. A bright flash of light appeared and it was all gone._

_The scene was replaced by a dark dank room. Light seemed to be scarce but he could vaguely make out a dark figure resting on a huge throne, an aura of evil emanating from every corner of the room. Tendrils of black wrapped around his vision, and yet he did not feel afraid. The darkness seemed to spread and suddenly was combing through the castle at breakneck speed moving through all the nooks and crannies. Spiders were scuttling everywhere running down the walls to his feet and suddenly he felt many little feet all over him. He tried to hold back the shiver and get away from them but they were too many and swept over him in a wave of tangled darkness, gloom and chill causing him to scream and thrash helplessly to get rid of them._

Harry awoke with a start from his dream, his body covered in cold sweat. He didn't remember much except that he had felt a comforting presence before being enveloped by an oppressive darkness. Pondering over the matter, he absentmindedly fingered the charm around his neck. It was made of an unusual dark metal that he had never seen before and embedded in the centre was a small emerald stone surrounded by even smaller diamonds. He did not remember how he got it and his parents had just passed it off saying that some long lost relative had given it to him when he was younger. He kept it hidden within his robes most of the time since he had found that he could not remove it even when he wanted to.

Looking at his alarm clock he realized he still had quite some time to spare. Since he couldn't get back to sleep anyway he decided to get ready for the day. Classes would be starting later in the day since they had had a few days off due to the incident with the train.

Bemoaning the lack of an ensuite bathroom, he quietly opened the door on his left and headed towards the Slytherin bathrooms. He had been to the Gryffindor ones but he liked the Slytherin ones better. They were large and spacious with several large ornately carved silver mirrors hanging in front of the washbasins. They also had the privilege of a few large bathtubs. He couldn't wait to have a nice long soak in one of them. There was hardly anyone up at this time or so he thought until he caught sight of a glint of silver in front of one of the mirrors.

Draco Malfoy was standing in front of the mirror trying to get his hair to fall perfectly into place. He didn't seem to be doing very well too as he was applying a horrendous amount of gel into his hair only to have it go in the wrong direction. He definitely looked much less imperious when he was dressed only in forest green pajamas carrying, what was that a small silver stuffed dragon peeking out from under his towel?

Suddeny realizing that there was someone else in the bathroom; Malfoy spun around and spotted Harry at the entrance. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment.

Harry just grinned and said "I belong to this house. What's wrong with me using the showers?" Deciding that he didn't really want to make enemies with Malfoy though, since he hadn't really done anything to him, he said "So what are you doing here so early?"

"Just getting ready for the day." he answered shortly.

"Looks like you're having some trouble with your hair. I have trouble with mine too since it always sticks up everywhere and I can never get it to stay in one place. I think you'd look much better without the gel though," Harry said conversationally.

Malfoy just gave him a look that seem to say 'why don't you just go away?' but was met by Harry's expectant look and when no amount of glaring could get rid of him decided to answer him. "I've always slicked my hair back even if it is a hassle. My parents think that it is much more appropriate."

"I suppose, since you're used to it. You better fix the right side though. Your hair's sticking up," Harry said before heading for one of the showers. "Oh, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone that I saw your pet dragon," he said with a impish grin, leaving a gaping Draco Malfoy behind.

……………

**AN: **Thank you so much for reviews and so many different opinions. Thanks to **hy-nguyen, lady sakura cosmos, Smittened By Marauders, DestinyEntwinements **(I remember seeing you guys/gals before and i'm really glad you're still with me!)**, Fallen Dragon, Shania Maxwell,brzwoskinia, hermione21, animegurl088**. As you may have realised i kinda decided on a dual sorting in the end. I did consider Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff but i find that i just can't write those two houses. And considering that his original parents were Slytherin and his current ones were Gryffindor it kinda makes sense to have both. I hope that i'll be able to keep track of the two though. I already find it a bit hectic trying to keep track of all my story threads that i can't imagine having him in any more houses :p. Hope you liked it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

'Well that was rather unexpected' thought Draco. He had actually heard that Potter had been sorted into both Gryffindor and Slytherin. When he had seen Harry in the bathroom that morning he had been rather startled since he hadn't expected anyone up at the time, which was also the reason why he was there at the time. He liked to get up nice and early so that no one would see him, since it actually took him quite a while to get his hair into the perfectly slicked state it was always in. Not to mention that he was rather embarrassed that Potter had actually seen his stuffed dragon which he admitted had a soft spot for. Even his parents didn't know that he had smuggled the little thing with him to Hogwarts. He shuddered at what they would say to him.

He tried his best to act all pomp and arrogant on the outside as that was the way he had been thought since he was a child. Malfoys' were always better than others and they never showed their true feelings. Harry's actions had caught him off guard and he was not sure how to react really but he would not be surprised next time he assured himself. He would wait and see what moves Potter had up his sleeve.

In the meantime, he trudged back to his dorm to write a nice long letter to his parents detailing his sorting into Slytherin as expected and the events during the attack and Potter's unusual sorting. Perhaps his father might have something interesting to say about that since he had been told to report anything interest he found out at the school.

………..

Harry went to breakfast nice and early and decided to take a seat at the Gryffindor table as he saw Ron and several others waving at him. He spotted Malfoy at the Slytherin table looking very much like his normal arrogant self. 'Who knew that he could have a soft side too?' Harry thought with amusement. He could perhaps use that information to strike a tentative friendship with said blonde. After all he was part of Slytherin too and it wouldn't do to be alienated from the house when he would have to be spending quite some time with them too. He had noticed that among the Slytherins Malfoy seemed to be quite a popular figure. He even had two big bumbling boys, Crabbe and Goyle as his sidekicks.

Professor McGonagall had handed him a timetable when she saw him and he had half of his classes with Slytherins and half with Gryffindor while the rest were shared classes. His first class was double potions with Slytherins and Gryffindors. He wondered how that would turn out. Perhaps if he played it just right he might be able to keep himself out of any house rivalries that were likely to sprout. 'Hmm… maybe I do have some Slytherin in me too,' Harry thought.

…………

Potions class turned out to be a rather interesting event. Professor Snape was highly biased towards his own house and seemed to take every opportunity to deduct points off Gryffindor. Harry however was a different case as any points awarded to him went to both houses evenly and any points deducted would be deducted from both houses. Thus, Professor Snape had the dilemma of giving points to his own house but that would mean that Gryffindor would get points too.

Harry was a brilliant student by all means. He found the theory rather easy to grasp since he had read all the text beforehand. On the practical side he had a slight bit more trouble but was rather receptive to instruction and would be able to grasp the practical after some well given guidance from Professor Snape.

Harry also didn't seem to mind being paired with either Gryffindor or Slytherin. He treated both sides with equal respect. He tried not to judge anyone based on their house and found that even those who seemed rather unfriendly on the outside were not that bad when you got to know them well. On occasion he had been paired with Pansy Parkinson. He knew that she was considered to be rather slutty even by her own housemates. But really, when he took some time to understand and talk to her he found that even though she did have a rather vain side, she was rather loyal to her friends.

He and Draco had also progressed to being friends albeit taking some effort and persuasion to get through to him. The latter had been rather reluctant to speak to him after the incident, only giving haughty responses that would have put anyone off. But, Harry soon found the politics of the Slyhterin house rather interesting. Inside they were all rather wary of each other and trust had to be earned even if outside they had a much more united front. It seemed in his abscence there had been a sort of hiearchy within the house. Each year had one or two leaders or groups which were most prominent, usually from wealthy pureblooded families with much influence. For the first year it was Draco Malfoy and his friends. 'And all the more reason to get on his good side' thought Harry. Beside the leading group, there was somewhat like an opposing group within the year and in between were either individuals who stayed out of the politics as neutral bystanders but still holding a reasonable amount of influence based on their family standing and the outcasts who were simply those that didn't fit in anywhere, usually with rather bizarre personalities or poor family background.

He in his part managed to keep a farely neutral position. He didn't scorn any members regardless of their status and lent his help freely without demanding an equal exchange as was the common practice. He had managed to talk with Draco several times within the company of his other housemates. They had found common ground in their interest in quidditch and dark spells. The latter had surprised the silver haired boy quite a bit with his extensive knowledge of dark arts, rituals and practices but he soon realised from his observations that Harry was not as 'light' as he assumed him to be. It was impossibly hard to fault him with anything though being the sneaky Slytherin he was and he seemed to be limitlessly patient, not to mention Draco found himself enjoying the intelligent conversation since Crabbe and Goyle were more brawn than brains.

Harry still teased Draco occasionally about the stuffed dragon though he had not let the secret out to anyone yet. Occasionally, Blaise Zabini or Theodore Nott would join them in their many conversations. He found their company rather pleasurable even if it was rather different from the open and lighthearted banter of the Gryffindors. Slytherins' tended to have a sharper tongue which on occasion could be rather hurtful. But once he got to know them well enough, he knew better than to take their words to heart. They also played more power games and had political discussions regarding Voldemort and the ministry although surprisingly alliances were not always in favour of Voldemort. It seemed within the house, they were a range of opinions within each group, although outside people always assumed that they were all followers of the Dark Lord.

In a way Harry found that he really couldn't fault any of the houses for being the way they were. They were very different but nothing was ever as clear as evil or good, black and white. After all, his parents had always emphasized the importance of giving everyone a fair chance before judging them as one or another. But then, you could also argue that his father did have a rather strong prejudice against the Slytherins in particular.

………

Professor Snape was beyond shocked when he had realized that James Potter's son was half a Slytherin. He didn't know what to think. He had always expected the boy to be a spitting image of his father; arrogant, self-centred, foolish and prone to trouble. Harry Potter was an enigma. He was nothing like his father, except for the occasional joke he pulled. He did have the trademark messy Potter hair and Lily's green eyes but he might also have passed of as a son of someone else, which was what bothered him to a certain extent. He couldn't quite place why the boy seemed so familiar. It brought to mind an incident rather long ago when his master had returned from an attack in a rather good mood. That was also the night where the Potter-boy had been attacked and yet he had survived with no more than the scar on his forehead. He had puzzled over it for many years and not managed to wheedle an answer out of his master.

It didn't help that the boy was also a rather remarkable student. He prepared well for his lessons, put in effort in class and didn't participate in any of the petty Slytherin-Gryffindor arguments. 'What was he to do, when he couldn't even gain pleasure from insulting the son of his old archenemy?'

………

The weeks passed by in a flurry and Harry had not much time to think about the deatheater attack. Recently though, he had been getting more of the strange dreams and occasionally his scar would burn. He couldn't figure out what was causing it though.

Another thing that roused his suspicion was what he had overheard when Professor Snape was talking with Professor Dumbledore. They had been talking about something called a 'Philospher's Stone' which apparently was being guarded in the school. The information had piqued his curiosity as he wondered if that had been what the death eaters had been looking for on the train at the start of term. It made sense that the stone would have to be transported to school in some way and one of the teachers might have been carrying it. Voldemort must have thought that it would have been aboard the Hogwarts Express, although he was either mistaken or prevented from removing the stone during the attack.

He decided that a trip to the library was in mind and that was where he was found poring over several large tomes. He was engrossed that he barely noticed Hermione Granger, a muggleborn from Gryffindor sitting in front of him. "What are you looking for, Harry? Need any help?" she offered.

He supposed it was just like Hermione to be interested in any type of research. He had met her in transfiguration which had turned out to be one of his weaker subjects. After being paired for a project together they had hit of a deal where she helped him with transfiguration while he gave her some advice on her potions. She was rather bookish and tended to give the impression of a know-it-all to those around her. He found her to be a very intelligent girl though and highly motivated in her studies. It was probably no surprise that anything vaguely academic in nature would attract her attention.

She had once confided in him that she had not known anything about the wizarding world when she had gotten her letter and being rather insecure and afraid of being looked down on, she had strived very hard to excel in everything that she took. He admired her perseverance and assured her that he didn't think of muggleborns of any less than a normal witch and she was a brilliant example of that.

With Hermione lending him a hand they managed to discover a vague reference in one of the light readings. It pointed out that the stone was created by Nicholas Flamel and would prolong the life of the person who possessed it. He found the information fascinating and it did answer the question of why Nicholas Flamel had managed to live far longer than any other wizard.

Hermione was rather curious as to why he was looking for the information though. "Why are you so keen on looking for this stone? As far as we know it's safely kept in a vault in Gringotts's."

Harry considered telling Hermione and settled to just telling her some of his speculation that the stone may be hidden in the castle and he suspected that someone might be trying to steal it. He didn't mention his dreams though.

"I don't think you should do anything, Harry. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore has made sure that it is safe. After all you could get into trouble."

"Don't worry Hermione. I'm not going to do anything," 'yet' he added in his mind. "I was just curious especially with the attack from the death eaters early this year and all."

Hermione just gave him a rather suspicious look before dropping the issue.

………

Lord Voldemort paced around in his study. He had miscalculated the attack on the Hogwart's Express. It seems that his sources had been wrong after all and it had not been anywhere aboard the train.

"_You have failed me, crucio!" he said menacingly as he subjected his spy to the unforgivable. _

"_Forgive me, master. I was sure that the information was correct. Dumbledore told that big oaf Hagrid to bring it with him to Hogwarts and he usually takes the train with all the other students," the death eater pleaded as he was subjected to yet another bout of the curse._

_Looking at the pitiful form writhing on the ground, he felt disgust at the man. Such weak creatures that were unable to carry out even the simplest task. He features twisted in distaste he said, "You have one more chance to procure the stone. Do not fail me."_

"_Yes, master!" the man cried as he lay shivering on the ground, head bowed in submission._

He would have to wait and see what the man could do. His gaze flickered to a picture of his love. Those pure emerald orbs gazing back at him lovingly, reminded him of those of the young boy he had met. He watched the Potter heir as he grew up, not once attacking the family. He was curious as to how the child had managed to survive the most evil curse with nothing more than a scar. By now, he would be in his first year of Hogwart's. He could sense that the youngling harbored quite a lot of hidden potential, his senses always sensitive to the intoxicating scent of power. Perhaps he should get to know the young heir, there was much time after all and he was keen to quell his curiosity. It was far easier to corrupt the young, he thought with a twisted smile.

………

**AN#** Thanks for the reviews. **Shania Maxwell, Smittened By Marauders, thuyhy-thuyhy, Fallen Dragon, DestinyEntwinements, shannyauburn, anti-thule, AceZ-Shadow.**

I think i've more or less settled into a schedule of updating once a week, since i'm still on holiday till end of january. I realised that many people have asked me if there is slash and honestly i hadn't planned anything like that. I was thinking of not pairing Harry up with anyone as it is. I was wondering what you guys think of slash though? Harry may be a bit dark depending on what you consider dark but not really evil although i don't really support Dumbles so more of an independant person, although you have to take into account his father too.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **The usual. I own nothing; please don't sue this penniless writer.

Harry found that his dreams had been increasing in intensity lately. He could still feel the waves of darkness sweeping through the castle but now they were starting to resemble a human form. It made him feel rather jumpy as the shadows around the castle seemed to jump out at him from around the corners.

He had progressed with his studies as usual and even managed to become the youngest quidditch player at Hogwarts. It had all started out with a simple invitation by Draco to go out flying since they both had brought their brooms. They were planning to sneak out with a few others to fly around the quidditch pitch after dinner where there was unlikely to be anyone around. Him being partly the noble Gryffindor he was had suggested bringing Ron and some of his Gryffindor friends along in an effort to breach the gap between the two houses.

"Awwww…, come on Draco you wouldn't let something like house rivalry get between a nice bout of flying would you?"

"They're bloody Gryffindors. I don't see why you're so keen on inviting them along."

"Come on, after all I'm half Gryffindor and I'm not that bad am I?" he tried to persuade the other.

"Well you aren't half bad I suppose although I don't see why you bother to hang around with those losers. I only put up with you because you're one of us too. I don't know how I have managed to survive your random Gryffindor urges"

"It can't be that bad. After all you're not afraid of losing to some of those Gryffindors are you?"

"I have nothing to be afraid of," Draco huffed, insulted. "Fine, invite them if you will."

And that had ended up in a rather sullen bunch of Gryffindors and Slyhterins zooming around in the quidditch pitch that evening, both parties looking as if they would rather be somewhere else. The trouble started when Neville who was rather clumsy on his broom accidentally dropped a Remembrall that his grandmother had given him. Of course it had to fall into the hands of Draco Malfoy, who thought that it was a good opportunity to have a little fun and started tossing it amongst the Slytherins out of reach of poor Neville who was struggling around rather clumsily to get to it.

"Come on now, Draco. Stop being a prat," Harry said in annoyance. He was starting to realize what a bad idea this had turned out to be. 'Blame it on his foolish Gryffindor tendencies'

Ignoring Harry, Draco threw the round orb with all his strength so it flew high and far across the pitch close to one of the castle towers. Without thinking, Harry zipped off after the ball trying to catch it before it got smashed against the stone. Pushing his broom forward he moved in a beeline towards the wall looking for a moment as if he was going to crash headfirst into it before swerving suddenly and avoiding it at the very last moment, the remembrall clasped in his hand.

Flying back to the others, he was aware of the stunned looks that his housemates were sporting.

Ron broke the silence as he asked Harry, "Where did you learn to fly like that? That was amazing!"

The Slyhterins couldn't help but agree while calling out praises and congratulations on the amazing feat. It seemed that they had all forgotten about the cause of the problem in light of Harry's spectacular display.

Their joy was short-lived though as a rather irate looking Professor McGonagall was seen storming out across the pitch.

"50 points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin. What were you boys thinking, sneaking out here unsupervised and Harry, come with me."

Harry gave a forlorn look to his friends and followed after Mcgonagall. The day was not quite turning out how he'd hoped it'd be. He supposed it couldn't get any worse now could it? He was rather surprised that instead of heading to Professor McGonagall's office they first went to see Professor Snape. He couldn't quite hear what they were discussing but after much debate they seemed to come to a conclusion. "Well Mr. Potter, it seems that you have the honour of being the youngest seeker in a century at Hogwarts. Professor Snape and I have agreed to allow you to play due to your rather splendid performance on the pitch this afternoon."

Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his socket when he heard that. He had never once expected something as exciting as this.

"But Professor, aren't first years not allowed on the team?" he asked with slight dismay.

"Well for your case we can make an exception."

"It seems that your celebrity status does seem to have some impact here. However, I have heard about your performance and I trust Minerva to make a sound decision. You may be on both the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams. I shall however be watching your performance to see if it matches the great description I have heard. You would do well not to disappoint Slytherin house for this honour," Professor Snape said in a low voice.

Harry couldn't help but suppress a shiver at that. Professor Snape sure could be very intimidating when it came to protecting his own house.

"But sir, what about the matches between Slytherin and Gryffindor?"

"You may play for either houses as long as both teams are in agreement of the arrangement. Now, if there is nothing else I have essays to mark." 'and probably fail' thought Harry considering how harsh Snape was in his marking. He did reasonably well in potions but then Snape did tend to be partial towards his own house so he supposed he couldn't quite let that get to him. After all it was all very confusing considering how he was extra harsh to the Gryffindors while being excessively lenient with members of his own house. That probably accounted for his mediocre marks all the time though he thought with a slight smirk.

…….

Later that evening it seemed that the word had spread like wildfire. He had only really told Draco, Blaise and Ron but it seemed that everyone had heard the news and he was getting mixed reactions. Some were genuinely ecstatic giving him big thumps on the back while others were looking at him warily, as if he had done something illegal to get on the team. The Gryffindor and Slytherin houses were also each having a different point of view in that Harry would help win all the matches for their respective house and not the other and he had just about given up on explaining that he would technically be playing for both houses except in the match against each other. It didn't help that everyone seem to expect him to win in his first match and that was in three weeks time. He couldn't help the feeling of dread that settled in his stomach dampening some of his earlier elation.

Draco sensing his feelings whispered to him, "Don't worry, Marcus Flint is a fanatical team captain. He'll get you up to speed in no time."

'Right, just what I need.' Harry thought sarcastically. "Who's the Gryffindor team captain?" he asked.

"Oliver Wood. He's just as bad though so you'll probably be getting it from both of them."

……

Practices for the Gryffindor team were on Tuesday evenings and Thursday evenings for Slytherin. There had been a huge argument at the beginning when they were trying to decide which team Harry should train with and finally with some mediating by Harry and their respective house heads it had been settled. Harry would train with the house which was participating in the next inter-house match. If it was more than four weeks away from any house match he could train with any of the teams. He had set down his foot on not training with both as he had found out early on that doing both Tuesday's and Thursday's had him tired beyond relief as both team captains were apt slave drivers.

His first match loomed up being a Slytherin against Hufflepuff. It was expected to be a rather easy win although Flint had not gone any easier on him saying that this was his first chance to prove himself and he would have his head if he did not catch the snitch. Harry gulped as Flint went through the rest of his threats with the other team members. Oliver Wood seemed almost tolerable after Flint's harsh ways. 'Almost' being the key word because even though Flint was very intimidating during team practices and pep talks, Wood put in almost as many hours as him or more really. When it came to quidditch there was almost no easy way around the two of them and he just had to be the lucky one to have it all.

He was rather nervous as they marched out onto the playing field. Within seconds the whistle was blown and they were off in the air. The sensation of the wind blowing against his face and the freedom that came with flying took his mind off his worries as he lazily circled around the pitch keeping an eye out for the snitch. He loved flying and he was rather adept at it despite the little opportunity he had to practice since his mother usually preferred him to be on the ground where she could see him.

……..

Down in the seats, a pair of dark red eyes watched as the match progressed. They followed the movements of the youngest seeker as he twirled around the field expertly avoiding bludgers and any other obstacles along the way. Suddenly he dived as if following after the snitch but then he quickly pulled out of the dive and continued his relaxed circling.

Deciding to see how well the boy could stay on his broom he started incanting in barely audible tones, his ruby orbs never wavering from the boy. Soon the broom started to jerk roughly, zooming from one side to the other trying to throw off its rider.

Harry was shocked when his broom suddenly gave an unplanned jerk and stopped following his commands. He nearly fell off as another unexpected twist caught him off balance. His eyes narrowed as he decided that someone was definitely jinxing his broom, but the question was who? As he struggled to keep on his broom, he ran through all the ways to stop the jinx in his mind. He remembered reading that it was usually a battle of wills where the curse could only be overcome if the one countering it had more power of will than the other. This tended to be rather difficult if the caster was someone of profound strength.

Suddenly, the broom gave an unexpected twitch and he slipped of the edge only to stop himself from falling by grabbing onto one end of it. Things weren't looking very good at the moment as Harry found himself dangling a 500 feet above ground. He struggled to muster enough concentration as he chanted the counter charm urgently feeling a growing surge of power flowing through his body as beads of sweat rolled down his chin. The broom was trembling slightly as it seemed to be fighting against staying still and throwing its rider to his death.

In the distance he could hear the shocked exclamations of the crowd as no doubt everyone would have seen him by now, dangling high above the ground. He forced his broom to move lower and lower, as he managed to regain control of it with his magic. His relaxed a bit as he gradually drifted closer to ground level when a sudden outburst of strong magic cut through the broom causing him to lose control and fall the rest of the way to the ground. He heard a loud crack as his body hit the ground like a limp doll. He was pretty sure that he had broken a couple of bones although he was too tired to care.

……

Everyone was staring at the scene in stunned silence as they saw the young seeker's broom jerk around erratically nearly throwing him off in the frenzy. A loud gasp resounded as he lost his handhold and ended up dangling from the edge of the broom. Then as if guided by an invisible hand the broom had slowly calmed down and started drifting down towards the ground only to suddenly twitch and throw its rider 10 metres from the ground.

……

He decided he had seen enough as he drifted out of his follower's mind and back to his throne room. The dimly lit lamps cast black shadows against the walls as he pondered over the boy's power. It seems that he was much more than he appeared to be. 'Now to move on to a more direct method of communication' he thought.

...

**AN: **Thank you so much for all your reviews.

**DestinyEntwinements, thuyhy-thuyhy, Jarno, Shania Maxwell, shannyauburn, ivan the terrible, animegurl088, Sarah R Potter, AceZ-Shadow, Midnight Star, Nymoue, Fancyfree, good morning starshine the earth says hello-debbs **(that's a really long nick!)

Ok, I know everyone kinda wants to get to the bit where LV and Harry meet and yes I will get to that soon, it's just going to be in a different way that's all and I haven't forgotten about Kaspar, he will be back later on. I'm sorry it took so long to update, I have not stopped writing, it's just that I've started classes and all and I don't have any access to the internet at the moment. My computer hard drive died for a week or so and then I had to move back to my flat and my internet is not going to be up for another week to two weeks. Things are pretty hectic and I'm just posting this chapter using my university internet. I hope that you'll all be patient and I'm sorry if it's a bit rushed through. Reviews would be very encouraging! Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Chapter 10**

An elegant black eagle owl swooped through the Great Hall, searching for its recipient amongst the throng of students but to no avail. It started flying through the hallways, around corners an up many flights of stairs following the owl-sense that seemed innate to all carrier-owls, carrying a yellow parchment bound in neat red ribbon in its talons.

…………….

Harry Potter was lying in a warm bed in the corner of the stark white infirmary. He was starting to dislike the place especially with his affinity to getting injured often. His parents who had come to see his debut as a seeker had immediately rushed to his side after the match. His memory of the event was rather hazy though and he had felt extremely drained and lightheaded when they had levitated him off the field into a stretcher and to the infirmary. He vaguely remembered his mother holding his hand by his side and speaking his name in mumbled tones, before succumbing to the pull of darkness.

He had woken up two days later to the tear stained face of his mother bringing out that guilty streak in him once again. He reassured them that he was fine and just needed some rest and after much persuasion they had left him to his own devices. It seemed that someone had indeed been tampering with his broom during the match although the identity of the culprit had remained unknown. Professor Dumbledore had come and left with his customary twinkle and grandfatherly demeanor to check on his wellbeing and ask questions about the incident. There wasn't much to tell since Harry himself had been too busy trying to stay on his broom to notice much else.

The entire Gryffindor quidditch team and his friends had also been to visit him in the infirmary, going as far as to put up banners and set up a little party before they were banned by Madam Pomfrey. She had obviously not been impressed by the Weasley twins 'stick-it' charms which had not only attached an oversized banner saying "Get well soon, Harry" onto the ceiling but charmed the entire ceiling to flash those words off and on at random intervals and would only disappear when Harry left the infirmary. He gave a smile as he remembered the twins and their antics. Gryffindor had won the match anyway eventhough he had not caught the snitch as they had been ahead in points when Harry fell off his broom. He did feel rather disappointed though that his first match would end with such a mishap.

His thoughts were interrupted by the gentle flap of wings as a handsome owl deposited a letter in his lap before taking off again. Curious, he looked at the parchment suspiciously. He didn't know anyone who had an eagle owl and contemplated whether it would be dangerous to open considering the recent events. Finally though, after trying almost every single one of the detection charms he had ever come across, he deemed the letter safe and opened it gingerly.

The letter was written in an elegant script with large curly letters.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I am rather astounded at your remarkable performance on the quidditch pitch on Thursday. Despite what meets the eye, you have much potential within you. So much more that you can learn and tap into if you would just unleash your potential. I know some about you and your kind, for I have consorted with them before your time._

_You would be wise to be wary of my correspondence, but I assure you I mean no harm. If I did this letter would likely have been a trap, yet you can attest to your sound health can you not? I offer you answers and much power, enough the quench all your hearts desire. After all are you not curious of the workings of our world and the little curiosities that happen unchecked? My owl shall return for your answer in two days._

_A distinguisher of power,_

_Dark wings_

'Well that was weird', thought Harry. He couldn't imagine why a person would write a letter like this to him and from the tone of it, it sounded suspiciously like the person might have been involved with his accident on the quidditch pitch. He did not know what to make of it. He would admit that he was rather intrigued though and wondered what the person meant when he said 'your kind'. 'Could it be possible that he knew something?' After all, he had taken special care to keep his room clear of feathers and even his parents weren't aware of it. The letter was too vague. There were have a dozen conclusions that he could draw from the contents and they might all be wrong. He would have to think about this one.

……..

After he was discharged from the hospital wing, albeit with much fussing and warnings from Madame Pomfrey, class proceeded as usual. There was not much that happened other than the usual cauldron exploding in potions and Draco and his goons, trying to act nonchalant whilst hiding their grins as Neville was told off by Professor Snape. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Neville. The boy was a walking disaster and it sure didn't help that the Slytherin's were intentionally sabotaging his work.

In transfiguration, Ron put a little too much force when trying to turn his matchstick into a pin and caused it to go flying off, nearly causing Draco to choke on it when it popped right into his open mouth. All in all it was a rather hilarious affair as the blonde had been boasting about the luscious Malfoy grounds, only to choke and stutter a moment later.

Harry almost forgot about the mysterious letter, until the owl returned that evening, depositing a single black feather in his hands. His blood ran cold for a moment. 'Was it possible?' He tried to rationalize that dark coloured feathers could come from any number of avians and could hardly mean anything. Besides, in wizarding tradition, sending a black feather meant that although the person was a practitioner of dark arts they meant no harm. It might even extend to a tentative offer of friendship as far as dark wizards were concerned.

He tried to ignore the bird, but he finally gave in when it wouldn't stop following him around. He had had enough of people staring at the rather large owl that kept flying alongside him, even going so much as to perch on his shoulder when he was having dinner.

He picked up a quill and penned out a short response to the letter.

**AN:** Thank you guys so much for all the reviews and for following this story. I'm very sorry that I haven't updated for a while but I have had a lot of changes what with the start of classes and no internet connection that I just haven't gotten around to writing another chapter. I'm sorry that it is so short, I'm afraid i just couldn't quite figure out to write this bit and the next part. Hopefully, my muse will be back soon! 

**Thanks to :** _Shania Maxwell, Sarah R Potter, DestinyEntwinements, thuyhy-thuyhy, mandy, AceZ-Shadow, nymoue, GMSRESH (yes this is much easier), shanny auburn, Fan of Great Works, Curalium Lacrimo, Yana5, henriette_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer: HP is not mine. Why would you even think that?  
**

_Dear Dark Wings,_

_You have already made known that your intentions are far from pure. Thus, it would be unwise for me to communicate with you. What you offer, I do not need. What is power if all that I desire is within reach? Although I must query as to the significance of the feather u sent me as I am not as well versed in tradition as you are. _

_An unwilling correspondent,_

_Harry Potter_

Harry signed his name with a flourish and sighed, wondering if he should inform his parents about the mysterious sender. He was pretty sure that his mother would freak out though especially as the person had tried to harm him in the quidditch match before and he didn't believe that to be just a harmless ploy. However, he couldn't quite get past the niggling feeling that this person was not what he seemed. There was something vaguely familiar and deep inside he was very curious. He pondered the thought that they might be someone out there who was just like him.

He had always realized that he was different; more so when he started shedding midnight black feathers. Somewhere deep down he knew that his parents weren't really his. He couldn't remember what had happened in the earlier part of his life. He only had occasional flashes and dreams of a beautiful dark haired woman and silver blue eyes like pools of mercury. He didn't know who they were but he suspected that the lady must have been his mother before he went to the Potter's. His parents had always told him that he was their son, even showing him pictures of a black haired green eyed babe although he had always known instinctively that that was not him. Yet, he could not bear to break his mother's heart as he had seen her gaze at the picture longingly with tears welling up in her eyes.

……

In the midst of schoolwork, quidditch and the letter from Dark Wings he was having far more of the unusual dreams that plagued him earlier. They were more vivid and detailed. He could feel the oppressive darkness chasing him down the hallways, chilling him to the bone and he shivered involuntarily as soft feathers stroked his face as the unseen entity brushed by him. He ran all the way to the third floor corridor, heading towards a heavy oak door and could almost feel sharp knives piercing into his back as he never seemed to be able to outrun the darkness; dark eyes staring into the back of his head like malicious daggers. The door was nondescript, just like most of the doors in the castle, but he could never quite see what was behind it although he did have his suspicions. He always woke up trapped at the door unable to go forward or backwards rattling the frame frantically. Each time he woke to the tingling in the charm around his neck and a throbbing headache. After that he would lapse back into sleep, plagued by imaginary dark shadows and evil whispers.

He couldn't help but feel that the dreams bore ominous warning of something about to happen. He just couldn't put his finger on it and it was rather worrying. After all nothing could get into Hogwarts could it? After all it was one of the safest places in the wizarding world.

……..

Lord Voldemort seemed more alive or happy for some reason or another. He could almost feel the subtle changes in the atmosphere during the latest death eater meeting. They were many plans being laid down but not a mention of the philosopher's stone. He knew his brother-in-law was up to something. They were several more raids planned, some random killings and emissaries bringing news from the demon and vampire clans. A few more meaningless tortures as bad news was conveyed and the meeting was over. He lingered behind though, curious as to the sudden change.

"Have you come across a pot of gold, dear brother? Your mood seems the most jovial I have seen for a while," he commented lightly, careful not to sound to impudent as Lord Voldemort was not adverse to torturing kin, even in his best times.

"What is it to you?" he said curling his claw-like fingers in an elegant yet cruel manner.

"I am just worried about you. You know that so much has changed since '_then'."_

"What is done is past," he said with the slightest flicker of nostalgia before it disappeared again. "I have found something of interest as of late; a little Raven, full of curiosity and much potential. It reminds me of things long past."

"How interesting. It must be special to have your notice."

Lord Voldemort looked at his brother-in-law with annoyance and dismissed him with a flick of his wrist. Sometimes, and much too often nowadays he tended to lose himself in the past, in things that he could not have.

He needed to concentrate on more important things, like the Philospher's stone. He had managed to have one of his followers slip into Hogwart's as the DADA professor. Honestly, Quirrel was such a weak man it was amazing that he had managed to get hired by Dumbledore. He wondered about the knack of the man sometimes. On several occasions, he had managed to access the castle by linking into his followers mind. He had scoured the castle in the dark nights searching for the stone and he believed that he was coming close. He believed that Severus knew where the stone was but had yet to tell him. His loyalty had always been partial although he knew that the man was conniving in his own ways and he was sure that Dumbledore would not get much more from him than he did. He would let it go for now.

Harry was sitting in the library, dark bags under his eyes. He was definitely not feeling the best. His nightmares had been keeping him up for the past week and the accumulated sleep deficit was not going well with him. He hadn't had much of an appetite and had been dozing off at inopportune times. Thus, the three detentions he had gotten this week. Looking at the huge mound of homework he had to complete, he felt none of the usual fervor he had when it came to acquiring knowledge. Homework usually didn't present that much of a problem to him as he kept up well with his studies and he did have extensive knowledge from his readings when he was younger. He was by no means a poor student, rather he did exceptionally well in class, rivaled only by Hermione and Draco. At the moment though, predicting your future from teacups and writing an essay on the complications of transfiguring a smaller object into a larger object was not the most enticing thing to do. He sighed and rubbed his temples, he was getting more of that itch in his scar again. It always seemed to be more prominent when he was tired.

Draco and the other Slytherins' had noticed Harry's recent lack of sleep and enthusiasm and were getting slightly worried about him. They had to admit that he was a great guy to hang out with despite the fact that they had to share him with the Gryffindors'. He was not partial to either and usually made for intelligent conversation flecked with hints of mischief. After all, only he had managed to get away with dousing all the Slytherins' with a bucketful of caramel sauce at the unearthly hour of 6am. They had never been able to trace it back to him although he did have a penchant of pouring copious amounts of caramel on his dessert with a sly smirk after the incident.

After classes that afternoon, they spotted Harry sitting alone at a table in the far corner and marched over to sit down beside him.

"You really should get some sleep, Harry. You look terrible."

"Come on Drake, terrible to you is having your hair gelled 2mm off of its normal axis."

Draco pouted as the other guys started to snicker. "What, Malfoy's happen to have very high standards of appearance. I know it can't be helped with your hair but I make sure that mine is always in perfect condition."

"Anyway, what Draco is trying to say is that we are worried about you. You don't usually put in 10 drops of mermaid tears when you're supposed to put one and you never blow up a cauldron." Blaise said, looking at Harry seriously.

"Something's bothering you."

'Man, this is what I get for hanging out with Slytherins'.' Harry thought with a little smile to himself. They were much too perceptive about certain things. He was glad that his friends cared, but really there wasn't much to tell them.

"It's nothing much guys, just some bad dreams."

"Well they must have been pretty bad to make you this tired and don't think we haven't noticed the silencing charms around your room."

"I'm sorry guys, I don't really want to talk about it. It's nothing big though, honestly." Harry said only to be met by the disbelieving faces of his housemates.

"Well, I have some dreamless sleep if you need it. We Slytherins' always watch out for each another even if you're only half a Slyhterin." Draco said rather pompously.

"Thanks guys." Harry said grateful that they were willing to drop the subject for now.

They all went back to quietly finishing up their respective assignments or discussing house politics. Harry wished that more people would be able to look and see how they really were inside. They weren't that much different from the other houses. It was just the isolation and discrimination that shaped those cold exteriors to protect them from the cruelty of others. They were widely protective of their own and many had had a less than savoury home life. 'If they did not stand together, no one would stand up for them' Harry thought sadly.

Going back to his original thoughts, Harry was pondering over the meaning of his dreams. He had figured out that there was something out there and it was trying to get to the 'Philosopher's stone' which he was pretty sure was behind that door on the third floor. He and Hermione had did more research and found out that Hagrid had retrieved something from Gringott's and the day after the most secure place in the wizarding world other than Hogwart's had been broken into.

He suddenly felt a wave of sharp pain crashing over him. His scar felt like it was going to be ripped out of his head. He gripped his head in pain and bit is lip to stop himself from crying out loud as he doubled over nearly slamming his head into the table just to curb the pain. He vaguely heard scuffling around him and the anxious voice of someone calling his name before his vision blacked out.

AN# Here's another chapter! I just couldn't figure out how to continue after the previous chapter and finally just managed to churn this out. I'm sorry for the long wait, there is gonna be bigger gaps between posting now coz i'm just so busy with uni stuff. In a sense i know what i want to write but when get to it i just can't continue the story, i donno if this makes sense. Thanks for all the reviews guys! They were very useful in encouraging me to keep going with the story! (and if you don't like my story... why bother reviewing?)

Thanks to ** thuyhy-thuyhy, DestinyEntwinements, Nymoue, GMSRESH, bandgsecuritiyaw, AceZ-Shadow, lily, Yana5, GoddessMoonLady, fudgebaby, sakura13, Storm, Shannyauburn, Ilaaris, Lady Highschoolnerd, Obsidian-Dragon-Phoenix, raven2547, Coiling Death, Tazspaz, Lemo, Dark-Angelic-Goddess, Siri02, wiccan-jessica, bobboky, Silvermane1, SabineballZ.**

I think most questions should be answered in this chappie... and about whethre Voldie knows what Harry is, well you'll just have to read and see.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer : **I own nothing.

**Chapter 12 **

He could feel himself floating in a dark void. There was no light and yet it did not seem dark. He could see and feel and all his senses seemed to be working yet there was nothing to sense. It was a strange feeling of drifting, although there appeared to be a certain alignment to his drift as he was floating in one direction. He turned around and could see what appeared to be a red gem beckoning to him, he reached out for it but felt himself collide with an barrier, that gave a soft glow before disappearing again. He couldn't help but feel that the stone on the other side held many answers to his questions but would also lead to many more revelations that he would not want to know about. He waved his arms around wondering what he was to do in this strange space. Interestingly enough his head was no longer hurting. There was only a faint ache to show that it was still there but the sheer pain he had been in was gone. He also felt a strange warmth around his chest, not knowing why he absently fingered the talisman, wondering briefly how that could have projected into his dreamlike state when other things like his wand had not. It was a comfortable place and he felt himself rocked and buoyed into a complacent state, losing himself to the rest he so needed.

……

When he woke up, he groaned at the four white walls that greeted him. Madame Pomfrey bustled into his room, running the usual diagnostic spells and chiding him for not taking better care of himself. He just sat quietly nodding every now and then, knowing that it would pass sooner if he was cooperative. No, he had not had similar headaches before and he didn't know why his scar would suddenly start hurting and bleeding although he had felt some tingles before when he came to school but these were usually mild and wouldn't have amounted to a full-blown headache. She fussed all around him and examined his scar more carefully and gasped. He turned his head in askance wondering what it was she had found out.

"This, Mr. Potter is no ordinary scar. It is a curse scar and cannot be removed as it is tainted by dark magic," she said apprehensively.

Harry could feel his head swirling. Dark magic? So his scar was not just from an ordinary fall like his parents had said. He could remember flashes of himself playing with a snitch when he was six and then a blur of green before he was on the ground crying as something had knocked him over. But wait, as he thought more carefully he was sure that there had been something before that, perhaps a flicker of red eyes and black feathers.

His thoughts were broken as the hospital matron continued to say, "I'm sorry that there is not much that I can do. These scars are very tricky business and the only way to get rid of the symptoms would be to remove the cause. From now on please come to me if you are having any problems with it."

She could feel her heart break as she looked at the fragile child before her. She had always had a soft spot for children, reason why she had chosen to work in a school instead of in a larger establishment. She did not know who could have done such a thing to a child but this was serious business indeed and the headmaster would have to be informed. It was a wonder that he had not shown any signs before.

As she left Harry, his friends came in all worried over their friend's problem. It was odd seeing a mixture of Gryffindor and Slytherins' crowding around the single bed. Both sides eager to see how their housemate was doing but not so tolerant of the other house as snide remarks and careless insults were flung.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the reactions of his friends.

"Harry, mate how are you feeling?" Ron asked. "If these guys had anything to do with it just tell us and we'll take care of it for you," he said while glancing suspiciously at the Slytherins' present.

"Shut it, Weasel. Its not like you to know anything. You should have realized that Harry wasn't looking too good for the past week since you're such a good friend," was Draco's snide retort.

The two sides glared at each other heatedly and Harry couldn't help but think that house unity was definitely a distant dream.

"Guys, I'm alright thanks for your concern. Even Madame Pomfrey's not too sure what is wrong with me. Something about this scar that I got when I was a child. It's just been giving me some trouble lately, nothing too serious" he said with a reassuring smile.

…

When the others left, Draco and Blaise lingered behind.

"Harry, I know you don't want us to worry about you but we know that there is definitely something more that you are not telling us."

"And now that the others are gone, you can enlighten us. We promise we won't tell anyone else," Draco said, a determined look covering his features.

Despite all appearances, Draco considered Harry to be a dear friend and he really wanted to help his stubborn friend. He had never met anyone like this brave yet cunningly intelligent boy in front of him. He had not gone around blabbing about Draco's stuffed dragon that first time he saw him and despite his dual sorting and the house prejudices, he had been nothing but open and fair to the Slytherins' which was much more than what most people would do.

"Why would you think that?" Harry asked, biting his lip.

"Because, you haven't been concentrating well. You're not eating and you're not sleeping. You always seem to be lost in thought and you've been researching excessively this past week, as if you know something's going to happen but you don't really know enough. You even included Granger in your research sessions yet you won't tell us whats going on."

"I just haven't been feeling right these last few weeks. Something big is going to happen; I'm not sure what although Hermione and I have an idea."

….

"Yes, master. Tonight we will have it and the old coot will have no idea what hit him. To think that it will be taken from right under his nose," the black robed man said with an evil smile.

Voldemort could feel his loyal follower's anticipation through the mind link they shared. 'Yes, all their hard work would pay off and immortality would be within his grasp. After all, even the strongest of opponents would wear down without time on their side.'

He started the incantation, channeling a portion of his power through his followers mind. In front of a heavy-set oak door at Hogwart's, a man stood chanting over and over 'acerbus caligo intercapedo cursus'. To the unknowing bystander, he appeared nothing more than a senile fool mumbling away incoherently, caught in a nighttime delirium.

….

Harry tossed and turned in his sleep. The darkness seemed more substantial this time and had morphed into filmy wisps of fog, seeping throughout the castle, heading towards the same door, through the corridor on the third floor. There was a purpose and a vessel in the castle somewhere, propagating it, pouring, hissing and slithering like snake. He woke-up with a start; the feeling of urgency clouding his mind. Whatever it was it was tonight.

Quickly he grabbed his wand and tried to make his way out of his room as quietly as possible, choosing to exit via the Slytherin route. The moment he set foot past the threshold of his door, he could feel the subtle shift a silent alarm going off. He cursed, 'they must have put warning wards on my door'. In moments, Blaise and Draco were creeping down from their dorm to join him at the exit to the Slytherin commons. A silent look was all it took to say that they were coming and there was no way he would be able to talk them out of it. Better together than alone.

In a way he was glad, as he wasn't sure what they were going up against except that he just felt inexplicably drawn towards the third floor corridors. Time was of essence. Stealthily, they made their way along the dark corridor under the light of a single 'lumos'. Harry felt his heart beating so hard that he was sure that anyone would hear it from a mile away. He did not even stop to consider the option of informing any of the teachers

It didn't take long to spot the difference as the third floor corridor was covered in a grey shroud. As they approached the same door in his dream, it was slightly ajar revealing a empty room. The three boys slowly crept inside only to stop abruptly at the sight of a huge three headed dog in the middle of the room close to an open trapdoor. They were stunned in fear until they realized that it was not doing anything. The entire room seemed strangely surreal as if it was stopped in time. Cautiously they edged towards the trapdoor and slipped inside. They encountered little resistance as they made their way through various traps obviously set to deter the intruder. The entire place seemed to be halted in a dreamlike state, giving a hazy feeling as if the fog was clouding up their senses. The grey mist had seeped into every part of the rooms stopping everything in its path. They passed a room of floating keys, various potions and a giant chess set in mid play. It was as if everything was temporarily halted and would spring back into motion at any time.

Harry wondered at the strangeness of it all. He had suspected the philosopher's stone was protected by the various enchantments but somehow someone had managed to get by them by stopping the flow of time or movement somehow. Driven by curiosity intermingled with fear and excitement the trio found themselves in a large cavern with a high ceiling and well-lit torches lining the walls. A single mirror stood at the end with a lone figure standing in front of it, a turban wrapped around his head and the fog-like mist coiled around his form like a snake.

Blaise gasped as he realized who the intruder was. The head twisted around to face the boys as a pair of startling red eyes bore into them.

'Such familiar red eyes'

…..

"Who are you?" Harry asked. He felt an annoying itch in his scar but ignored it.

The figure seemed startled at his question. The other two boys wondered what he was on about. It was obviously their cowardly DADA professor although how he had managed so far was a wonder. Or was it not? The unnatural red eyes were startling in their intensity.

"Such potential, in one so young," said the voice in thick low tones, red eyes flicking towards the raven-haired boy. "Do you think you can stop me?"

"We know what you are after. You obviously haven't found it since you are still here."

The man's lips curled in disgust. "Just another trick of the old man, like all the other traps along the way, laughable really. One cannot presume to so easily stop me," he said brandishing his wand and casting a slashing hex in the direction of the boys.

They ducked out of the way, separating into three directions. Harry kept talking as the other two slowly snuck up around the wizard.

"You are not Professor Quirrell," he said as he cast a 'stupefy' in the direction of the man, followed quickly by Draco and Blaise.

The man easily deflected their curses, casting a wider slashing hex behind him catching both Draco and Blaise in the front. Harry watched helplessly as his two friends fell from the curse, the blood seeping through the front of their robes. He knew that they were severely out of their depth. Someone or something powerful was controlling their professor.

"What will you do, boy?" the man said sending a 'crucio' in his direction as he advanced towards him.

Harry ducked missing the curse by a hairs breadth, his breath coming in loud gasps, the annoying itch in his scar progressing to a full-blown headache. His head was throbbing as he struggled to cast an 'impedimenta', 'stupefy' and 'expelliarmus' in rapid succession but to no avail. Another 'crucio' and he was brought down by waves of nerve-wracking pain. He could feel his consciousness slipping and blood trickling down his forehead when he felt a flare of protective magic. Black feathers everywhere, springing a protective cocoon around him as his magic sought release and pushed against the one who sought to harm him. He heard a strangled cry as his power wrapped around the man choking him, drawing the evil out of him. He felt calm again, safe and protected.

Voices were heard as Professor Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall and Flitwick rushed into the room. He turned his eyes back to Quirell as he let out a piercing scream and fell to the ground in a heap.

**AN: I know I have been really slack with updating. My muse just seems to have left me. This is what I managed to come up with over this prolonged period. I'm sorry if it's not very consistent. Someone pointed out that Harry had been passing out quite a bit keke, I hadn't really noticed but I tried not to do it this time, don't want him to seem like such a wimp. It just seemed like an easier way to end as I don't have to write what happens next (I know lazy me .. :p). Anyway I'll do what I can to keep the story going. Please tell me if I'm making any mistakes or anything since this is unbetaad. **

**Thanks for all the kind reviews and also the faithful reviewers that have encouraged me time after time. Nymoue, AceZ-Shadow, Shania Maxwell, Sarah R Potter, Damon Chandler, amethyst sylph, KikiLala (isn't this a kids clothing brand?), Reamar, phoebe turner, DestinyEntwinements, master of random disaster, Bluebear13, I-see-thestrals, Izzima, CatWriter, Madd Girl. **


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